About Sweden

    Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige (help·info)), is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It has been a member of the European Union since 1995. Its capital city is Stockholm.

    At 449,964 km² (173,720 square miles), Sweden is the third largest country in Western Europe. Sweden has a low population density except in its metropolitan areas; 84% of the population lives in urban areas, which take up only 1.3% of the total land area. The citizens enjoy a high standard of living and the country is generally perceived as modern and liberal, with an organizational and corporate culture that is non-hierarchical and collectivist compared to its Anglo-Saxon counterparts. Nature conservation, environmental protection and energy efficiency are generally prioritized in policy making and embraced by the general public in Sweden.

    Sweden has a long tradition as a major exporter of iron, copper and timber. Improved transportation and communication allowed more remote natural assets to be utilized on a larger scale, most notably timber and iron ore. In the 1890s, universal schooling and industrialization enabled the country to develop a successful manufacturing industry and by the twentieth century, Sweden emerged as a welfare state, consistently achieving a high position among the top-ranking countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI). Sweden has a rich supply of water power, but lacks significant oil and coal deposits.

     in the 16th century. In the 17th century Sweden expanded its territories to form the Modern Sweden emerged out of the Kalmar Union formed in 1397 and by the unification of the country by King Gustav VasaSwedish empire. Most of these conquered territories had to be given up during the 18th century. In the early 19th century Finland and the remaining territories outside the Scandinavian peninsula were lost. After its last war in 1814, Sweden entered into a personal union with Norway which lasted until 1905. Since 1814, Sweden has been at peace, adopting a non-aligned foreign policy in peacetime and neutrality in wartime.

About Umea

     Umeå (IPA: [ʉːməʊ] listen (help·info), Finnish: Uumaja, Northern Sami: Ubmi) is with 75,645 inhabitants the biggest city in Norrland, northern Sweden. The average age of the people who live in Umeå is 37.

     Umeå is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County and a centre of education, technical and medical research in Sweden, with two universities and over 30,000 students.

     Umeå has been expanding for several decades and is one of Sweden's fastest growing cities. Growth sped up in 1965, the same year that the university was established. In the last 30 years, housing in Umeå has doubled and this rate of growth continues. 700 to 800 new apartments are at present constructed each year.

     Umeå is situated on the inlet of the Gulf of Bothnia at the mouth of the Ume River, in the south of Västerbotten. Umeå is about 600 km north of Stockholm at 63°50′N, 20°15′E and about 400 km south of the Arctic Circle. It is the largest city north of the Stockholm-Uppsala region, and is sometimes referred to as the regional centre of northern Sweden. The nearby community of Holmsund serves as its port. From here a ferry line connects it with the neighbouring city of Vaasa (Swedish: Vasa) in Finland.

     Umeå has become some what of a capital of culture in northern Sweden, the Opera of northern Sweden, the Norrland Opera, the world's northernmost opera house is based in the city. The annual Umeå Jazz Festival is one of the larger scandinavian festivals for modern jazz. The main museums in Umeå are: Museum of the county of Västerbotten,the museum of Umeå, The Image Museum and the museum of Skiing.

     Umeå is a centre for cultural activities, with annual film and music festivals. and is Umeå is a multi-cultural city with over 100 different nationalities. At the moment the worlds northmost mosque is about to be built in the eastern parts of Umeå. The city aims at being elected the European Cultural Capital for 2014.