The Swedish Language

Swedish, a language closely related to Norwegian and Danish, is spoken by roughly 9 million people worldwide. The vast majority of Swedish speakers live in Sweden, where it is the de facto official language. A significant number of Swedish speakers also live in Finland (mainly on the southern, southwest and west coasts), where Swedish is recognized as an official language along with Finnish.1

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Modern Swedish has its orgins in 1526 with the translation of the New Testament into Swedish, followed by a translation of the entire Bible 15 years later in 1540. The standard form of the language spoken today "began to emerge in the 17th century, formed principally on the Svea dialects spoken in Stockholm and around Lake Mälar but with some features from the Göta dialects".2

Below are some brief but important facts about Sweden and its people:

Capital: Stockholm
Currency: Swedish krona (SEK)
Government Type: Constitutional monarchy
Population: 6: 8,986,400 (July 2004 est.)
Internet Country Code: .se
Internet Hosts: 945,221 (2004)
Internet Users: 5.125 million (2002)

For additional demographic information on Sweden and its people, please see the following link:

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sw.html

For information on The Swedish Writing System, please see our Quick Facts Library.



1 "Swedish language" Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9070619
[Accessed December 3, 2004]

2 "Swedish language" Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9070619
[Accessed December 3, 2004]