As a start to my inquiry on Sweden, I have been researching general facts about the country. The following facts were found on this website:

General Facts
  • Sweden is a country populated by 10 million people, 2 million of which are under the age of 18.
  • Stockholm is both the capital and the largest city in Sweden. 950,000 people live there.
  • Sweden is covered by forests – 69% of the land is heavily forested. Less than 3% of the country is built up.
  • Swedish is the language spoken in Sweden however, most Swedes speak English at a very high level.
  • Sweden is approximately the same size as the state of California.
Economic/Political Facts
  • Sweden is a member of the European Union despite having its own currency, the Krona (kr). 100 kr is around $14 Canadian dollars.
  • Sweden is a parliamentary democracy and their parliament is called the Riksdag. Members are elected to it every 4 years and the Prime Minister of Sweden is Stefan Löfven from the Social Democratic Party (a left-of-centre party).
  • King Carl XVI Gustaf is the “head of state” in Sweden but he has no actual political power. He is a representative figure mainly only present for ceremonial purposes.
The Swedish Lifestyle
  • ‘Fika’ is a coffee break that typically also involves a sweet baked good. To ‘Fika’ is apparently a universal activity for Swedes.
  • Sweden was the first country in the world that allowed freedom of the press in 1766.
  • The country also has a strong emphasis on equality having legalized “same-sex relations” since 1944 and legalizing gay marriage since 2009.
  • Sweden is a secular nation but most of the world’s religions can be found and are welcome there.

Next week I look forward to researching Swedish celebrities, music, and their stance on the environment. I also intend to study more Swedish to learn more important vocabulary.  I will try to do 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week of Duolingo

 

Swedish Words that I have learned on Duolingo this week:
  • A boy = En pojke
  • A girl = En flicka
  • A woman = En Kvinna
  • I am a woman = Jag är en kvinna
  • A man = En man/ Mannen
  • Drinking = Dricker
  • Water = Vatten
  • Eating = äter
  • And = Och
  • A = Ett
  • Bread = Bröd
  • A book = En bok
  • A menu = En meny
  • You = Du
  • Have = Har
  • A/one/an = En
  • Newspaper = Tidning
  • A letter = Ett brev
  • The child = Barnet
  • Milk = Mjolk
  • It = Det
  • Read = Läser