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Welcome to Sweden
Sweden - the country that brought you ABBA, Roxette and
Ace of Base among many other things. From Volvo cars and
Astrid Lindgren's famous children's book called Pippi Longstocking,
to the good old IKEA chairs - Sweden's got it covered.
The Swedes are known to be peace-loving people. The last
war on Swedish grounds took place back in 1809, when Finland
was lost to Russia. No wonder it was Sweden, which invented
the Nobel Peace Prize.
As the biggest of the three Scandinavian countries, Sweden
boasts an amazing 25,000 Iron Age graveyards and burial
mounds, about 3,000 churches, of which one-third are medieval,
thousands of nature reserves, dozens of national parks,
hundreds of museums and nine UNESCO world heritage sites.
You'll be busy for a while.
The capital of Stockholm is a lively international city
with an immigrant population of more than 15 percent. It
boasts a magnificent Old Town (Gamla Stan) and is home to
more than 50 world-class museums and ten royal residences,
which include the largest palace in the world.
Outside of the country's few metropolitan areas lie huge
forests and lakes. Here you can go on long hikes through
the wilderness. If you're an experienced hiker, check out
Sareks National Park, Sweden's most spectacular hiking area.
In summer, Sweden's 100,000 lakes and the long coastline
offer plenty of opportunities to get wet. Swimming, diving
and canoeing are all possible here.
Wintertime brings plenty of ice and snow, perfect to go
ice-skating or downhill or cross-country skiing. If you're
in the northern part of the country at that time, climb
on a mountain for the best sight of nature's spectacular
night show - the colorful Northern Lights. |
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