Geography of Sweden
Location: | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway |
Geographic coordinates: | 62 00 N, 15 00 E |
Map references: | Europe |
Area: | total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km |
Area - comparative: | slightly larger than California |
Land boundaries: | total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km |
Coastline: | 3,218 km |
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
Climate: | temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
Terrain: | mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west |
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m |
Natural resources: | iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower |
Land use: | arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 1,150 sq km (2003) |
Natural hazards: | ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic |
Environment - current issues: | acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea |
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note: | strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas |