Scandinavia includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as of 1902.
Sweden -LRB- Konungariket Sverige -RRB- , is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe .. Northern Europe. Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east , and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Oresund .. Norway. Norway. Finland. Finland. Denmark. Denmark. bridge-tunnel. Øresund Bridge. Oresund. Øresund. At 450295 km2 , Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area , with a total population of 10.0 million .. European Union. European Union. Sweden consequently has a low population density of 22 PD / km2 , with the highest concentration in the southern half of the country .. Approximately 85 % of the population lives in urban areas .. Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times , emerging into history as the Geats / G otar and Swedes / Svear and constituting the sea peoples known as the Norsemen .. Germanic peoples. Germanic peoples. Geats. Geats. Swedes / Svear. Swedes ( Germanic tribe ). Norsemen. Norsemen. Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural , while the north is heavily forested .. agricultural. agriculture. the north. Norrland terrain. Sweden is part of the geographical area of Fennoscandia .. Fennoscandia. Fennoscandia. The climate is in general very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence , that in spite of this still retains warm continental summers .. climate. Sweden#Climate. Today , Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy , with a monarch as head of state .. parliamentary. parliamentary system. constitutional monarchy. constitutional monarchy. democracy. Parliamentary democracy. monarch. Monarchy of Sweden. head of state. head of state. The capital city is Stockholm , which is also the most populous city in the country .. Stockholm. Stockholm. capital city. capital city. Legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag .. Riksdag. Riksdag. Legislative power. Legislature. unicameral. unicameral. Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister .. Executive power. Executive ( government ). government. Government of Sweden. prime minister. Prime Minister of Sweden. Sweden is a unitary state , currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities .. unitary state. unitary state. 21 counties. counties of Sweden. 290 municipalities. Municipalities of Sweden. Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages .. Middle Ages. Middle Ages. 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 .. Swedish. Swedish people. Swedish Empire. Swedish Empire. Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries , ending with the annexation of present-day Finland by Russia in 1809 .. Swedish. Swedish people. Finland. Finland. Russia. Russian Empire. The last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814 , when Norway was militarily forced into personal union .. Norway. Norway. personal union. Union between Sweden and Norway. Since then , Sweden has been at peace , maintaining an official policy of neutrality in foreign affairs .. neutrality. Swedish neutrality. The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905 , leading to Sweden 's current borders .. Norway. Norway. peacefully dissolved. Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden. Though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars , Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts , such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe .. humanitarian. Humanitarianism. German-occupied Europe. German-occupied Europe. After the end of the Cold War , Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 , but declined NATO membership , as well as Eurozone membership following a referendum .. European Union. European Union. Cold War. Cold War. NATO. NATO. Eurozone. Eurozone. referendum. Swedish euro referendum, 2003. It is also a member of the United Nations , the Nordic Council , Council of Europe , the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development -LRB- OECD -RRB- .. United Nations. United Nations. Nordic Council. Nordic Council. Council of Europe. Council of Europe. World Trade Organization. World Trade Organization. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens .. Nordic social welfare system. Nordic model. universal health care. universal health care. tertiary education. tertiary education. education. Education Index. It has the world 's eighth-highest per capita income and ranks highly in numerous metrics of national performance , including quality of life , health , education , protection of civil liberties , economic competitiveness , equality , prosperity and human development .. quality of life. quality of life. education. Education Index. civil liberties. Freedom in the World. equality. Gini coefficient. prosperity. Legatum Prosperity Index. human development. Human Development Index