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From midnight skiing to summer island bathing, ancient culture to modern innovation...
Where can you hop on a snow scooter or a dog sledge and
explore white wastelands? Where can you see relics of the Viking era and the Bronze Age? And where can you ski, take rides on Icelandic ponies, and stay in beautiful, exciting cities?
Only in Sweden...
Occupying an area of 450,000 square kilometres and home to 8.9 million people, Sweden is the largest of the Scandinavian countries. Glacial activity has formed much of the countrys landscape. Early life in Sweden is documented in the rock paintings (hallristningar) that survive in certain areas. The many Roman, Byzantine and Arab coins left in Sweden bear testament to the wealth and power that Swedish Vikings accumulated during the Viking age. Famous Swedes include the influential dramatist and author Strindberg and the famous childrens writer Astrid Lindgren, creator of Pippi Longstocking. Another famous Swede was the 19th century chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel who became the first patron of the Nobel Institute and the coveted international prizes.
Cobbled streets, museums, splendid palaces, lively nightlife...
Swedens capital city, Stockholm, is a city of great natural beauty. It is situated on a magnificent archipelago of 24,000 islands. It possesses the worlds first national park enclosed within city limits. It is a city steeped in tradition and history with narrow passageways, cobbled streets, museums, splendid palaces, lively nightlife and many fine restaurants. Gothenburg, the countrys second city, boasts a beautiful harbour and Liseberg, one of the worlds best amusement parks.
Downhill and cross-country skiing are popular sports in Sweden. There are ski centers in Vastmanland and Stockholm. Hiking, canoeing, orienteering and diving opportunities abound. The spectacular Northern Lights or the aurora borealis can be seen in the north of the country. The aurora borealis are a natural phenomenon characterized by the appearance of streamers of coloured light in the sky caused by the interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the upper atmosphere. Sample some Swedish aquavit and pickled herring to complete your Swedish experience.
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