The People
Sweden, largest and most populous of the Scandinavian countries, is also the most homogeneous—in ethnic composition, language, and religion. Most of its people are native Swedes, Scandinavians closely related to the Danes and the Norwegians. There are small minorities of Finns and Lapps. In recent years there has been some immigration from other European countries.
Swedish, the official language, belongs to the Nordic branch of Germanic languages. It is closely related to Norwegian and Danish. English is taught in schools as a second language.
The Church of Sweden (Evangelical Lutheran), to which the vast majority of Swedes belong, is the established state church, but the constitution guarantees religious freedom. Other denominations include the Swedish Mission Covenant, the Pentecostal Movement, the Salvation Army, and the Baptist, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches.
There is almost no illiteracy in Sweden. Its educational system was reformed in the mid-20th century to provide equal opportunity for all students. Education is free and compulsory from age 7 to 16. Students attend nine-year comprehensive schools designed to provide basic academic training. Secondary schools provide two, three-, and four-year programs, chosen by the students according to their goals of study. Both college-preparatory and vocational courses are offered. Most purely vocational programs require only two years.
All universities are supported by the government. The oldest is Uppsala University (founded in 1477); the largest is Stockholm University. There are also schools for such areas as medicine, dentistry, technology, commerce, agriculture, and social work. Extensive facilities are available for adult education.
Sports and outdoor recreational activities are extremely popular with the Swedish people, who give great attention to physical fitness. Skiing (both Nordic and Alpine), tennis, swimming, hiking, and sailing are favorite outdoor activities. The leading spectator sport is soccer, played in summer; ice hockey is popular in winter. Many Swedish athletes have gained international recognition, especially in tennis.
Native Swedish sports are bandy, which is similar to hockey; varpa, which resembles discus throwing and horseshoe pitching; and orienteering, a kind of zigzag cross-country run using map and compass. ( )
Of all of Sweden's festivals and holidays, Christmas is the most elaborately celebrated, beginning on Lucia Day, December 13. ( In some parts of Sweden, colorful costumes are worn at Midsummer Eve and other festivals.
The Swedish cultural heritage dates back to before the Viking period. However, Sweden's arts and literature were little known outside of Scandinavia until modern times, exceptions being the religious writings of Saint Bridget and the philosophic works of Emanuel Swedenborg.
The poems of Esaias Tegnér, the plays of August Strindberg, and the novels of Selma Lagerlöf and Pär Lagerkvist have received worldwide acclaim.
Noted artists include painter Anders Zorn and sculptor Carl Milles. Swedish contributions to music have been greatest in the area of song, with such singers as Jenny Lind, Christine Nilsson, and Birgit Nilsson winning international fame. Sweden has been a leading producer of motion pictures since their inception. The works of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman are especially notable.
Stockholm is the cultural center of Sweden. Located there are the Royal Opera and its orchestra and ballet corps, the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the National Museum of Art, and the Swedish Academy, which promotes development of the Swedish language and literature and awards the annual Nobel Prize for literature. Other Nobel prizes (except Peace) are awarded by the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Royal Caroline Institute of Medicine, also in Stockholm.
There are government-supported municipal theaters and symphony orchestras in most of the large cities.
