Since the devaluation of the Swedish crown, Sweden has become much more affordable, and the simple joys of fresh air, landscape and culture are free. Its forests are starkly beautiful, its lakes giant. Stockholm , the country's capital, is a progressive city with pockets that maintain a village feel.

Situated in Northern Europe , Sweden lies west of the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Bothnia , providing a long coastline.

To the west is the Scandinavian mountain chain (Skanderna), a range that separates Sweden from Norway . At 449,964 km² (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the 55th largest country in the world. It is the 5th largest in Europe , and the largest in Northern Europe . The country is slightly larger than the U.S. state of California , with a population in 2006 of 9.1 million people.

Sweden has three main regions. Norrland, covering about three-fifths of the country, is mountainous and has vast forests and large ore deposits. Svealand has undulating glacial ridges and contains most of the country's 90,000 lakes. Götaland comprises the stony Småland highlands and the rich Skåne plains. About 15% of Sweden lies north of the Arctic Circle . Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, with increasing forest coverage northward.

The highest population density is in the Öresund region in southern Sweden , and in the valley of Lake Mälaren in central Sweden . Gotland and Öland are Sweden 's largest islands; Vänern and Vättern are Sweden 's largest lakes. Sweden enjoys a mostly temperate climate despite its northern latitude, mainly because of the Gulf Stream . In the south of Sweden , leaf-bearing trees are prolific, further north pines, spruces and in the very north hardy birches dominate the landscape. In the mountains of northern Sweden a sub-Arctic climate predominates. North of the Arctic Circle , the sun never sets for part of each summer, and in the winter, night is similarly unending.