Sweden is one among the countries of the Scandinavian Northern Europe which showcases a beautiful and peaceful nation to live, visit or work.

The country might be included in your bucket list visit for a holiday trip or perhaps , it is one among your plans to live and/or work there. If this is your first time to gain information anything about Sweden, then these facts might help you.

GOVERNMENT

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a king or queen. It consists of a prime minister as the official head of the government, the cabinet members, and a parliament.

- In the local government, it has 24 counties and each is governed by an administrative board elected by the people. The council appoints a governor in each county.

PEOPLE

- As an industrialized nation, more than 80 per cent of the areas is urban where most people live.

- It is a thinly populated nation only consisting of about 9.6 million people.

- Features of most Swedes resembles that of the German people. Their history tells their ancestors coming from the Germanic tribes who settled in the Scandinavian lands from 8,000 to 5,000 B.C. Hence, they are closely related to the Danes and Norweigans.

LANGUAGE

Swedish is the official language but most adult Swedes can speak and write in English.

WAY OF LIFE

- Just like other countries, heavy traffic congestion adds up to the daily struggles of people living and working in the cities.

- Despite having a large percentage of urbanized places, pollution is not a big problem in Sweden since it relies heavily on their own electrical energy.

- Citizens living in the rural area have the same living standards to those of the urban residents because agricultural products have very high prices and that most rural citizens work full-time at factories or services.

RELIGION

About 95 per cent of Swedes are members of the Lutheran Church.

They will be automatically registered as a member of the church at birth if their parents are both members. They will remain so unless they apply to withdraw.

- Other religious groups from the remaining 5 per cent are Roman Catholic, Mission Covenant Church, Pentecostals, Baptists, Jews, Salvation Army and immigrants who are adherents of the Eastern Othodox Church or Islam.

FOOD AND DRINKS

- Swedes like to be served a smorgasbord on holidays and in fine restaurants. It is an assortment of cold and hot foods placed on a large table where people choose and get foods by serving themselves.

- Swedes like to eat smorgasbord a specific meal in a particular order. E.g. First is cold fish dishes. Secondly is cold meats and then followed by hot dishes.

- Swedes have simpler meal considering from a daily basis view. Breakfast is usually cereal and pastry with coffee and milk. Lunch consists of heavy sandwiches and dinner has meat or fish dishes.

- Swedes love and enjoy drinking coffee. Many are also attracted to drink Aquavit which is a strong, colorless spirit.

If you are a nurse with 2-5 years experience and would like to work in Sweden, you may want to apply.