282 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
282 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
SWEDEN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 449,964 km2; land area: 410,928 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
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Land boundaries: 2,205 km total; Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
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Coastline: 3,218 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool,
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partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
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Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
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Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber,
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uranium, hydropower potential
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Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
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2%; forest and woodland 64%; other 27%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: water pollution; acid rain
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Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking
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Baltic and North Seas
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PEOPLE
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Population: 8,564,317 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
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Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Swede(s); adjective--Swedish
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Ethnic divisions: homogeneous white population; small Lappish
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minority; foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs,
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Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks) about 12%
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Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%,
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Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987)
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Language: Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities;
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immigrants speak native languages
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Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1979 est.)
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Labor force: 4,572,000 (October 1990); government services 37.4%,
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mining, manufacturing, electricity, and water service 23.1%, private
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services 22.2%, transportation and communications 7%, construction 6.3%,
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agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 3.8%, other 0.2% (1988)
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Organized labor: 80% of labor force (1990 est.)
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Kingdom of Sweden
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Type: constitutional monarchy
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Capital: Stockholm
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Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (lan, singular and
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plural); Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan, Gavleborgs Lan,
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Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan, Jamtlands
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Lan, Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan,
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Kristianstads Lan, Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens
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Lan, Orebro Lan, Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan,
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Sodermanlands Lan, Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands
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Lan, Vasterbottens Lan, Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands
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Lan
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Independence: 6 June 1809, constitutional monarchy established
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Constitution: 1 January 1975
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Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts
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compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
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Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Riksdag)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--King CARL XVI Gustaf (since 19 September 1973);
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Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the
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King (born 14 July 1977);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Carl BILDT (since 3 October
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1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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ruling four-party coalition consists of the
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Moderate Party (conservative), Carl BILDT;
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Liberal People's Party, Bengt WESTERBERG;
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Center Party, Olof JOHANSSON; and the
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Christian Democratic Party, Alf SVENSSON;
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Social Democratic Party, Ingvar CARLSSON;
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New Democracy Party, Count Ian WACHMEISTER;
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Left Party (VP; Communist), Lars WERNER;
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Swedish Communist Party (SKP), Rune PETTERSSON;
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Communist Workers' Party, Rolf HAGEL;
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Green Party, no formal leader
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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Riksdag--last held 15 September 1991 (next to be held
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September 1994);
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results--Social Democratic 37.6%, Moderate (conservative)
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21.9%, Liberal People's Party 9.1%, Center Party 8.5%, Christian
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Democrats 7.1%, New Democracy 6.7%, Left Party (Communist) 4.5%, Green
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Party 3.4%, other 1.2%;
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seats--(349 total) Social Democratic 138, Moderate (conservative) 80,
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Liberal People's Party 33, Center Party 31, Christian Democrats 26, New
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Democracy 25, Left Party (Communist) 16; note: the Green Party leaves
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the Riksdag because it received less than the required 4% of the vote
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Communists: VP and SKP; VP, formerly the Left Party-Communists,
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is reported to have roughly 17,800 members and attracted 5.8% of the vote
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in the 1988 election; VP dropped the Communist label in 1990, but
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maintains a Marxist ideology
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Member of: AfDB, AG (observer) AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE,
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EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-6, G-8, G-9, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL,
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INTELSAT, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC,
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NEA, NIB, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
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UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Anders THUNBORG; Chancery at
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Suite 1200, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
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telephone (202) 944-5600; there are Swedish Consulates General in
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Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and New York;
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US--Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN; Embassy at Strandvagen 101,
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S-115 89 Stockholm; telephone 46 (8) 783-5300
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Flag: blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the
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flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the
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style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during
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World War I through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable
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standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and
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extensive welfare benefits. It has essentially full employment,
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a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external
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communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and
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iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy that is heavily
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oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for
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about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering
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sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. For some observers,
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the Swedish model has succeeded in making economic efficiency
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and social egalitarianism complementary, rather than competitive,
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goals. Others argue that the Swedish model is on the verge of
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collapsing by pointing to the serious economic problems Sweden
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faces in 1991: high inflation and absenteeism, growing unemployment
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and deficits, and declining international competitiveness. In 1990,
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to improve the economy, the government approved a mandate for
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Sweden to seek EC membership and an austerity and privatization
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package and implemented a major tax reform. These reforms may
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succeed in turning the economy around in 1992.
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GDP: $137.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate 0.3%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.9% (1990)
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Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $60.1 billion; expenditures $56.7 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
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Exports: $57.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp
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and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals, petroleum and
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petroleum products;
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partners--EC 54.4%, (FRG 14.2%, UK 10.1%, Denmark 6.6%), US 8.6%,
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Norway 8.2%
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Imports: $54.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--machinery, petroleum and petroleum products,
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chemicals, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing;
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partners--EC 55.3%, US 8.4%
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External debt: $14.1 billion (December 1990)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 2.0% (1990)
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Electricity: 39,716,000 kW capacity; 142,000 million kWh produced,
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16,700 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio
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and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed
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foods, motor vehicles
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Agriculture: animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy
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products accounting for 37% of farm income; main crops--grains, sugar
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beets, potatoes; 100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes, 85%
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self-sufficient in sugar beets
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Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.3
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billion
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Currency: Swedish krona (plural--kronor);
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1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 ore
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Exchange rates: Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1--5.6402 (January
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1991), 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989), 6.1272 (1988), 6.3404 (1987), 7.1236
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(1986), 8.6039 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 12,000 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ)--10,819 km
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1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double
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track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service; privately
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owned railways--511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (332 km electrified);
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371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified)
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Highways: 97,400 km (51,899 km paved, 20,659 km gravel, 24,842 km
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unimproved earth)
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Inland waterways: 2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
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Pipelines: 84 km natural gas
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Ports: Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo,
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Stockholm; numerous secondary and minor ports
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Merchant marine: 182 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,226,923
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GRT/2,879,057 DWT; includes 9 short-sea passenger, 29 cargo, 3 container,
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45 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 2 railcar carrier,
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28 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 27 chemical tanker,
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6 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 8 combination ore/oil,
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12 bulk, 1 combination bulk
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Civil air: 115 major transports
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Airports: 256 total, 254 usable; 137 with permanent-surface
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runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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92 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international
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facilities; 8,200,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 56 (321 relays) FM,
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111 (925 relays) TV; 5 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite
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earth stations operating in the INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT
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systems
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Royal Swedish Air Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,136,227; 1,865,645 fit for
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military service; 55,198 reach military age (19) annually
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Defense expenditures: $4.9 billion, 2.5% of GDP (FY90)
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