Sweden is a nation.
Sweden . In the 17th century , it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire , which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century . 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 .