Have you ever visited any of the Scandinavian countries? Sweden is actually the largest one and with the most diverse population. Thanks to my classmate Zain I was able to learn a lot more about this very eco-friendly country. Environmental issues are extremely important in Sweden. It’s also known as one of the world’s most innovative countries.
You can thank Sweden for allowing you to connect worldwide via Skype and get jiggy with it using Spotify–another one of Sweden’s peachy inventions. Allow me to convince you to choose Sweden for your Erasmus+ experience with these 15 fun facts!
- 69% of Sweden is covered in forests creating beautiful green scenery.
- Over 400,000 moose’s roam the woods of Sweden. Moose are considered the most dangerous animal, causing about 6,000 car accidents yearly.
- Did you know that only 1% of solid waste goes to landfill in Sweden? The rest is either recycled or used to produce electricity, heat, or vehicle fuel in the form of biogas.
- In Sweden, American fast food is very popular.
- Located in Sweden is the world’s largest model of our planetary solar system.
- The Swedish passport is one of the best in the world (almost all of the countries welcome Swedes without the need of visa’s).
- Lagom is a word used often and it sums up the Swedish cultural. It’s equivalent to “just right” or “not too little, not too much.”
- Sweden was the first country in the world to prohibit the smacking of children, which opened the doors for many countries to follow the ban as well.
- Since 1944 same sex relations have been legal. Sweden is one of the top countries of global freedom press rankings.
- There are over 95,000 lakes that are greatly used for a daily jog or run.
- Swedish parents are eligible to 480 days of paid parental leave–60 days are reserved for the father.
- Kanelbullens dag (cinnamon bun day) is celebrated on the 4th of October. Våfflor (waffles) are devoured on the 25th of March and semlor/semla are very famous buns filled with cream & almond paste that are eaten on ‘Fat Tuesday’–the day before Ash Wednesday.
- About 15% of Sweden’s population has a foreign background. It is a richly diverse country.
- Lingonberries go with just about anything and are considered essential to accompany many Swedish dishes (for example: IKEA’s must have Swedish meatballs dish).
- Swedes are hardcore workers but take their relaxation very serious. Fika is an important part of their culture. It consists of a coffee/tea break with cookies, semla or just about anything. You can fika with your family, friends, or even on a first date.
