Sweden is a nation.
The European Union ( EU ) is a political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe . Sweden ( Konungariket Sverige ) , is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe . At 450295 km2 , Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area , with a total population of 10.0 million . Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages . The Swedish Empire ( stormaktstiden , `` the era of great power '' ) refers to the Kingdom of Sweden 's territorial control of much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries , a time when Sweden was one of the great European powers .