This week we are studying Sweden. This Scandinavian country is one with such an interesting Nordic History. Sweden is the 3rd largest EU country in land area, after France and Spain. It is one of the homelands of the Germanic ethnicity and culture. The Goths, the Suevirs and the Norses (Vikings) all trace their origin back to Sweden (as well as Norway and Denmark for the latter). In the 9th and 10th centuries, Swedish Vikings invaded and settled in parts of Eastern Europe as far as Constantinople and the Caspian Sea.
They founded the first kingdom of Russia. All the Tsars of Russia until the last one, Nicholas II, were of Swedish Viking descent.
The northern part of Sweden is home to the indigenous Sami people, whose traditionally nomadic lifestyle is built around reindeer herding. Traditionally, the Sami have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing, fur trapping and sheep herding. Their best-known means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding, with which about 10% of the Sami are connected and 2,800 actively involved on a full-time basis. For traditional, environmental, cultural and political reasons, reindeer herding is legally reserved only for Sami people in certain regions of the Nordic countries. Sami culture, including handicraft, homes and villages, methods of transport and style of cooking, is one of the many things visitors can become immersed in while spending time in Lappland.
Sweden has a lot to be proud of in terms of its society as well. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Sweden was ranked third in the world for the inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (HDI) defined by the United Nations Development Program.
In 2010 the Swedish people had the 5th longest life expectancy in Europe (80.88 years), following Switzerland, Italy, Iceland and France. Swedish people also boast the lowest income inequality in the world, with a Gini index of 23 in 2005. Sweden is a wonderful country as far as women's equality. Sweden has the smallest gender employment-rate gap in the developed world, with only 4% more men in employment than women. The U.S. employment-rate gap is currently 19%. With 47% of female parliamentarians (in 2012), Sweden has the highest proportion of women lawmakers in the world.
Sweden also has a lot to be proud of as far as their philanthropic endeavors. As of 2013, Sweden was the most generous country in the world regarding aid to poor countries. It is the only nation where donations exceed 1% of the GDP. Sweden has been a leader in environmentally sound initiatives. It is set to become the first country in the world to phase out petrol for biofuel.
Sweden also has the highest number of nuclear plants per capita, with 10 reactors for 9 million inhabitants. Sweden ranks second in Europe (after Finland) in terms of technological achievement.
I remember when my brother lived in Brussels and made a week long visit to Sweden during the month of June. He said it was the most beautiful country he had ever visited. Forests cover over 50% of Sweden, there are also around 100,000 lakes and over 24,000 islands throughout the country. Sweden's right to public access laws allows these areas to be fully accessible by the public. I hope to go one day and see for myself. When studying in Rome almost 20 years ago, I befriended a native Swede named Nina. She spoke so highly of her country. As we walked the streets of Rome together on lunch break, she noticed a homeless man begging on the sidewalk. She said, in my country this is very uncommon. I guess there is something to be said for socialism at its finest. While the Swedes pay extremely high rates of taxes, they do get a significant amount of benefits in return. Total taxation in Sweden amount to 54.2 % of GDP, the highest level worldwide. Sweden has, along with Denmark and Hungary, the highest standard V.A.T. rate(Consumption Tax) in the world (25%). The Swedish maternity and paternity leave is one of the longest and most generous in the world, allowing the father and mother to take a shared total of 480 days (16 months) off at 77.6% of their salary.
This week the girls decided we should make traditional Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries. I did not know if our local grocer would carry Swedish Lingonberries, but I was pleasantly surprised, and they were incredibly delicious! The pancakes were thin and crispy almost like crepes. After a light dusting of confectioner's sugar and a dollop of Crème Fraiche and Lingonberries they were ready to go. The Lingonberries were so fresh and tart, almost like cranberries but even better. These were gobbled up in seconds!
Here is the recipe we used for this week:
No comments:
Post a Comment