Sweden

Sweden (Swedish: Sverige), officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige), is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. Sweden borders Norway and Finland, and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund.

At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 square miles), Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of nearly 9.6 million. Sweden has a low population density of 21 inhabitants per square kilometre (54 /sq mi) with the population mostly concentrated to the southern half of the country. About 85% of the population live in urban areas. Sweden's capital city is Stockholm, which is also the largest city. Since the early 19th century Sweden has generally been at peace and has largely avoided war.

Today, Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy form of government and a highly developed economy. Sweden has the world's eighth-highest per capita income. In 2013, it ranked second in the world on the Democracy Index, seventh (tied with Ireland) on the 2013 United Nations' Human Development Index (third on the inequality-adjusted HDI), second on the 2013 OECD Better Life Index and third on the 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index.

In 2012, the World Economic Forum ranked Sweden as the fourth-most competitive country in the world. According to the United Nations, it has the third-lowest infant mortality rate in the world. In 2010, Sweden also had one of the lowest Gini coefficients of all developed countries (0.25), making Sweden one of the world's most equal countries in terms of income. Sweden's wealth, however, is distributed much less equally than its income, with a wealth Gini coefficient of 0.85, which is higher than the European average of 0.8.

In 2013, The Economist declared that the Nordic countries "are probably the best-governed in the world," with Sweden in first place. Also in 2013, The Reputation Institute declared Sweden to be the 2nd most reputable country on earth

Basic Information

 * Official Name: Kingdom of Sweden
 * Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy
 * Head of State: King Carl XVI Gustav
 * Head of Government: Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
 * Currency: Swedish Krona
 * Demonym: Swede, Swedish
 * Official Language: Swedish
 * Capitol City: Stockholm
 * Largest City: Stockholm
 * Population: 11,916,589
 * Population Density: 54.96 people/square mile (21.22 people/km2)
 * Gross Domestic Product: $698,810,000,000 USD
 * GDP per capita: $58,641.78 USD
 * Land Area: 173,860 square miles (450,295 km2)