Sweden is a very beautiful country and worth knowing. It is full of incredible landscapes, charming cities and of course, with a lot of curiosities. Discover the 15 most surprising curiosities about Sweden and if you are thinking of traveling to the country soon, do not miss the complete guide to travel to Sweden here.
15 CURIOSITIES OF SWEDEN THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU
1. There is little population in Sweden
One of the most striking curiosities of Sweden is the low population density. To give you an idea, Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union (behind France and Spain). However, it has the second lowest population density in the European Union. It has about 23.5 people for every square km.
2. Low population for so many maples
The most dangerous animal in Sweden is the moose. There are more than 350,000 moose in Swedish forests and the main problem is the high number of road accidents they cause. This animal, so common in Sweden and that you will be able to see on several occasions if you dare to take a road trip through the country, cause approximately 6,000 traffic accidents.
3. The Swedes invented something that has saved millions of lives
If you were thinking that I was going to say IKEA forget it, that is already a well-known curiosity. The Swedes invented the three-point seat belt. It is said that they have saved more than 2 million lives since they began to be marketed. It was launched by Volvo in 1959 and is currently implemented in 1 billion vehicles worldwide. Without a doubt, it is one of the best inventions.
4. Kingdom of the Swedes
Around 2,000 years ago, the inhabitants of Svear gave their name to Sweden. In their language, svear meant "we" and rike meant "kingdom." So Sverige, the country's modern name in Swedish means "Our Kingdom".
5. The lack of electricity, one of the biggest problems in Sweden
Due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle, Sweden is characterized by long and very dark winters, with few hours of daylight per day. Seasonal affective disorder causes generalized depression in 1 in 5 people in Sweden. This disorder is caused by a lack of natural light, which leads to an increase in the production of melatonin, the hormone related to sleep.
6. Sweden is the country with the most patents per capita in Europe
Sweden is the country with the highest number of patents per capita in Europe and some of the most named and important inventions are; the Tetra Pak was patented by Erik Wallenberg, the pacemaker was patented by Rune Elmqvist, and dynamite was patented by Alfred Nobel. Among many more.
7. Sweden is one of the most peaceful countries in Europe
Despite being a huge military power in the 17th century and one of the world's largest arms producers, Sweden has not been a party to any war for almost two centuries, including two world wars.
8. A lot of taxes are paid, but the Swedes are happy
Something that draws a lot of attention is the amount of taxes paid in Sweden. The population contributes 51.4% of the GDP. The Swedes are one of the most taxed societies in the world. However, these taxes are actually reflected in better services. For example, in Sweden there are 100% free public schools, institutes and universities (no materials, books or registration fees are paid). And this applies to hospitals, medical centers, transport, parks, roads...
9. Sweden has the smallest gender pay gap
Although this gap is already narrowing across Europe, Sweden has the smallest gender gap in employment rate in the developed world. There is only a 4% difference between employed men and women.
10. A great destination for lovers of natural environments
One of the best things about Sweden is its natural surroundings. Being a nature lover, I always look for destinations where I can do some trekking surrounded by landscapes or forests... I don't care, any place where I can get lost and enjoy nature. Sweden has 95,700 lakes which are equivalent to 9% of the total area of Sweden. In addition, almost 70% of its surface is covered by forests and they have 221,831 islands.
11. Married or Poisoned
Does it have the same meaning for the Swedes? Words can have multiple meanings. It depends on what you're talking about or even how you pronounce the word. And in this case, it is something that attracts a lot of attention. Gift means being married, but also poison or toxic.
12. North Korea owes a lot of money to Sweden
North Korea owes Sweden 300 million euros for having "stolen" 1,000 Volvo 144GLs in 1974. Having no foreign currency at the time, the North Koreans promised to pay for the cars with copper and zinc, although that payment never reached Sweden. . Since then, every six months, Sweden sends a reminder of the debt, a reminder that is never answered.
13. Sleep for free in Sweden
Sweden is a very expensive country if you are looking to sleep in hostels or hotels. However, if you are traveling on a budget you have the possibility to set up your tent almost anywhere. As long as you don't disturb the landowners and don't harm nature, you can pitch your tent in national parks, forest areas, fields, large plots where you don't disturb the neighbors... even in many places there are indications of where you can camp without disturbing anyone, without paying anything.
14. The border between Haparanda and Tornio
Haparanda (Sweden) and Tornio (Finland) are so close that they share the same post office. There are even two phone lines in the office, one for calls to Sweden and one for Finland.
15. Swedes pick up other people's trash
Sweden is one of the countries that recycles the most in the European Union. It has even run out of garbage and imports 80,000 tons a year from Norway. Bets for a better environment and contributes to the environment. For this reason, you will see that plastic is not present in many supermarkets, you will find recycling garbage on every corner and you even have machines where you can return the bottles and they will reimburse you.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Sweden very much and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!