sweden

Sweden I. INTRODUCTION Sweden, officially Konungariket Sverige (Kingdom of Sweden), constitutional monarchy in northern Europe, occupying the eastern portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bounded on the north and west by Norway, on the northeast by Finland, on the east by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, and on the southwest by the Skagerrak, Kattegat, and Öresund straits. Sweden includes the islands of Gotland and Öland in the Baltic Sea. It is …

…navy, and air force. Between 7.5 and 17.5 months of military service is compulsory for men between 18 and 47 years of age. An important component of the country's defense is the home guard, a volunteer service organized during World War II (1939-1945); the service has 125,000 members at present. In 1997 the armed forces included an army of 35,100, a navy of 9,200, and an air force of 8,800. In times of war, the armed forces can mobilize a reserve force of 570,000 people.