Sweden is an amazing Scandinavian country, which is the fifth-largest state in Europe. It boasts of stunning northern nature, a high standard of living, and a peaceful population. We collect the top 25 facts about Sweden, which you probably didn’t know.
All you should know about Sweden – Country in Europe
Legends in Invention :
5. The Swedes invented the refrigerator, dynamite, ship’s propeller, the pacemaker, ultrasound, computer mouse, Celsius scale, three-point seat belt, and much more.
Home for Top Loyal Brands :
6. Sweden has given the world pop bands such as ABBA, The Cardigans, Roxette, Ace Of Base, and many other artists.
Two Swedish Languages :
7. There are 2 Swedish languages – «easy» and «hard». Most Swedes do not use «difficult» words in conversation and often do not even know their meaning. And if you learn a few words and insert them into a sentence, everyone will think that you are a very erudite person.
Fishing is a Great Hobby Here :
9. Swedes are avid fishermen. Normally they are catching fish, not for food, but for sports interests. They take photos with their catch and let fish go into the water. By the way, a pike in Sweden is not an edible fish.
Hide their Emotions :
13. Swedes aren’t used to express their emotions openly. In Sweden, you can barely hear car signals, arguments in the streets, or indignation in queues.
Worlds First Ice Hotel :
21. The world’s first ice hotel was built near the village of Jukkasjärvi in the Kiruna area. A record number of tourists arrived at the presentation of this one of the most unusual sights in Sweden.
Buffet Introduced here :
20. Buffet began to be actively used in Sweden more than a century ago. Swedes came up with this way of serving food to avoid wasting time for design and serving dishes and increase time for communication with their guests.
Unknown Facts about Sweden
Blood donors in Sweden receive an SMS notification in the case when their blood saved the life of another person.
Earplugs are on sale at rock concerts in Stockholm there. And many people buy them.
Members of the cult band ABBA performed in extravagant costumes only to reduce their taxes. Under Swedish law, the cost of working clothing can be deducted from income. But only if these clothes are not meant to be worn daily.
The most popular Swedish souvenir is the road sign warning of the possibility to encounter an elk on the road. Every year a huge number of these signs are being stolen from Swedish roads.
The word ‘You” in Sweden is addressed only to members of the Royal family. In all other cases, Swedens use an informal appeal.
Interesting Facts about Sweden
2. The center of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is located almost on the water, and the whole city occupies about 14 islands.
3. In 1996 a married couple decided to name their son Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116. But the government refused them. Now Swedes can’t give their children names Ikea and Lego.
11. About 20 years ago Sweden abandoned landfills and started to use separate collection facilities. Now Sweden does not have its garbage, it buys it in Norway.
14. Schoolchildren in Sweden receive $187 a month as scholarships. From the 5th grade of intermediate school as far as possible boys and girls are being taught separately.
22. Normally young people in Sweden don’t go to university in the same year when they finish school. They start going to work and living separately and after a couple of years, they enter the university.
23. In Sweden, there are often no fences between private houses. And if they are, they are so low that you can step over and they exist only to mark the land boundaries.
24. Except in the regions beyond the Arctic Circle (where are polar and white nights), in Sweden it gets dark already at 15 o’clock in winter, but in summer it’s never dark here, the stars in the sky can’t be counted!
Facts about Sweden for kids
15. 89% of Swedes speak English and until 2009 Swedish was not an official language in the country.
16. Fika is a sacred time for any Swede, so they called coffee break with buns. Skipping Fika is possible only if you are busy with the matter of life and death.
18. The profession of a housewife is not very popular in Sweden, therefore more than 75% of mothers go to work after the child’s birth as soon as possible.
19. The average life expectancy in Sweden is 80 years. For women – 83.4 years and for men – 78.7 years. The main reasons are excellent ecology and calm, measured lifestyle.
25. It’s not possible to buy alcohol in Sweden anywhere, except the only state-owned distillery Systembolaget, which opening hours mainly fall on business working hours.
So are the most interesting and unusual facts about Sweden – a northern country with rich history and beautiful nature.
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