Sweden is greatly influenced by its geography. Approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) long and 500 kilometers (300 miles) wide, its 450,000 square kilometers (174,000 square miles) make it the third largest country in Western Europe. Its latitude is comparable to that of Alaska, but its climate is warmed by the Gulf Stream. Average temperatures in Stockholm range from -2.8 degrees C (27 degrees F) in January to 17.2 degrees C (63 degrees F) in July. Its surface is 53 percent forests, 17 percent mountains, 9 percent lakes, and only 8 percent cultivated land. It borders Denmark, Norway, and Finland, with which it shares a common Nordic culture and history. The country's location on the northern fringes of Europe has created a distinctive Swedish culture, resourceful in adapting to the climate and land. It also has created a people who regard themselves as Europeans with a difference and predisposed them to avoid entangling military alliances in modern times.

As of November 2003 Sweden's...