In northern Europe lies the Scandinavian country Sweden. The Kingdom of Sweden, so the official name, is bordering directly with Norway in the west and Finland in the north, otherwise it is surrounded by water. The connection to the sea made it one of the most powerful countries in the region, especially in the Viking age.
Sweden is the third largest country in the European Union in terms of area. Measured by the size of the population, the Scandinavian country is only 13th in the ranking.
This results in just 23 inhabitants per square kilometer. Only eight people more than if all of humanity were spread all over the earth, including water.
Traditional Swedish cuisine is quite simple and is characterised by home-style country cooking, meat (e.g. reindeer) and an opulent selection of desserts and bakery products.
One of the dishes also known beyond the borders of Sweden are surely Köttbullar. They are made from minced meat, mostly served with mashed potatoes and cranberry compote and are one of the most popular dishes in the restaurants of the furniture chain IKEA.
The Swedes are among the biggest coffee drinkers in the world. A large part of the brown caffeine-containing drink is probably drunk during the regular fika, coffee breaks. In addition, a yeast cinnamon snail (Kanelbullar) or a slice of the Prinsesstårta, a calorie bomb of eggs, sugar, cream with an overflow of usually green dyed marzipan mass, is served.
Every Swedish child must have a surname and at least one given name. Not unusual are two given names, the first doesn’t necessarily have to be the calling name.
In the past patronymic surnames based on the father’s first name were often used in Scandinavia. In the 19th century the male version (given name of the father + prefix -sson for son) was transformed as a permanent family name. Andersson (son of Anders), Johansson (…Johan) and Karlsson (…Karl) are still the most common surnames of the country.
Not unusual are also ornamental family names, formed from a birthplace or elements of nature. A representative with such a name is the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. This name is composed of the words linden (“lind”) and branch (“gren”).
