Gothenburg, Sweden
- in the heart of Scandinavia
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Gothenburg
is located on the west coast and is the second
largest city in Sweden. The city has always
served as a major port, and for many years
shipbuilding was one of its most important
industries. Today, areas historically used for
shipbuilding are being transformed into
modern residential neighborhoods.
It is easy to get to Gothenburg. Connections
are extensive with express trains, ferries from
Denmark, Norway and Germany, and daily
flights from all major European airports.
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Gothenburg
is known for its coastline, waterways and the ferries linking the many
offshore islands.
It is a city with broad avenues, canals, a living harbour and wellpreserved historical buildings. The sea is always present, in the shape
of Scandinavia’s largest port and in the river that runs through the
city.
The archipelago with its countless small islands has a unique appeal
and is a must for every visitor.
Gothenburg has many green spaces in the central parts of the city:
the 19th century park Trädgårdsföreningen, the Botanical Garden
and Slottsskogen to mention some.
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Events
The city centre is a concentrated area of hotels and restaurants, culture and entertainment,
tourist attractions, event arenas and a congress hall, all within walking distance. The location
of Gothenburg makes it a favorite host city for large international events, and has hosted
highlights as the World Championships in Athletics, the Three Tenors Opera and the
European Summit.
The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Sweden’s national orchestra, has reached world fame.
The Opera House is renowned for its modern programme of performances, its architecture
and central harbour location. The shopping mall Nordstan in the city centre is Scandinavia’s
largest shopping mall with over 200 shops.
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Trade and Industry
Gothenburg is renowned for its rapid
growth of research and expertise
companies.
Several of the most renowned industrial
companies in Scandinavia, such as Volvo,
founded in Gothenburg in 1927, SKF,
Mölnlycke Health Care and Hasselblad,
operate from and have their head offices
here.
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Climate
Gothenburg has four distinct seasons. Despite its northern latitude, temperatures are
mild throughout the year and much warmer than places in similar latitude, because
of the warm Gulf Stream.
Summers are warm and pleasant and with sunny and bright evenings. During
summertime Swedes get 18 hours of daylight, compared to only around 8 hours in
late December.
Winters are usually mild but can occasionally get cold, with periods of snow
although with clear, sunny days.
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The Beautiful West Coast
Gothenburg is the gateway to Sweden’s west coast and its
archipelago of 8,000 islands. The people of the West
Coast love the sea, and it is one of the region’s with most
boats per inhabitant in the world – there are 8 people per
boat. Old fishing villages with wooden houses in many
colors are scattered across the area.
Its coastal location and closeness to the North Sea makes
Gothenburg a paradise for those who enjoy fish and
shellfish. Enjoy prawns, oysters, lobster and fish of
highest quality. Gothenburg's fish and seafood restaurants
take well care of their ingredients - five Gothenburg
restaurants have a star in the Guide Michelin.
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SWEDEN
Sweden has 9.5 million inhabitants. More than one third of the population lives in the
three largest cities Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Member of the EU since 1995.
Facts
Capital: Stockholm
Language: Swedish, English is compulsory in all Swedish schools.
Currency: 1 krona=100 öre
Area: 450,000 km² (174,000 sq mi)
Political system: Parliamentary Democracy
Language
Although Swedish is the official language, English is widely spoken and it is easy to get
by: movies are shown in English with Swedish subtitles, restaurant menus are in English,
and people in the street will easily understand what you are saying.
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Sweden is the fifth biggest country in Europe. The extreme distance from north to
south is 1,600 km - if you turn Sweden around at the southern end, you will see the
north end up in Naples in Italy!
With only 9,5 million inhabitants it is not a surprise that Sweden is dominated by
nature. It is perfect for those who love space, clean air, beautiful landscapes and
outdoor activities.
Lapland is often called the last wilderness in Europe, with high mountains, swamps
and wild rivers, treeless highlands and birch forests. In this part of Sweden the Saami
live, one of the last nomad peoples in Europe.
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Monarchy
Sweden as a kingdom was founded in the
13th century, and has since then been a
constitutional monarchy, in which King
Carl XVI Gustaf is head of state, but
royal power has long been limited to
official and ceremonial functions.
Ever since 1980 the oldest child inherits
the crown: no matter if they are male or
female.
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Nature
The country is characterized by its long
coastlines, large forests and numerous lakes.
There are over 95 000 lakes and 2700 km of
coastline. The Swedish archipelago consists
of more than 60 000 islands. Half of the land
surface is covered with forest and less than
10% is farmland.
The Swedish countryside is open to everyone,
based on the Right of Public Access
(Allemansrätten). You are allowed to walk,
jog, cycle, ski, pick berries, flowers and camp
everywhere, even on other people’s land,
provided that you don’t cause any damage.
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Swedish Export
Sweden is an export-oriented mixed economy. Timber, hydropower
and iron constitute the base of an economy heavily oriented toward
foreign trade.
Sweden's engineering sector accounts for 50% of exports, but
telecommunications, the automotive industry and the
pharmaceutical industries are also of great importance.
Among Swedish companies that have reached fame world-wide are
Volvo, Ericsson, Vattenfall, Skanska, Sony Ericsson, SCA,
Electrolux, TeliaSonera, Scania, H&M, IKEA, Nordea,
Preem, Atlas Copco, Securitas, AstraZeneca, SAAB, and SKF.
The World Economic Forum competitiveness index ranks Sweden
the 4th most competitive economy in the world.
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Welfare
Sweden is one of the most highly developed welfare states and with a higher level of
social spending to GDP than any other nation.
After World War II a series of successive social reforms transformed the country into
one of the most equal and developed. To this day Sweden consistently ranks at the top
of league tables for health, literacy and Human Development.
Contributing to the welfare is also the fact that Sweden hasn’t been in war for over 200
years, although taking active part in conflict-solving.
Income is relatively flatly distributed,
Sweden has the lowest Gini coefficient (a
measure of inequality of income), 0.23, of
any other country. Total tax revenue was
47.8% of GDP, the second highest tax
burden among developed countries
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Technology
Many of the companies founded by early pioneers still remain major
international brands - Gustaf Dalén founded AGA, Alfred Nobel
invented dynamite and instituted the Nobel Prize, Lars Magnus
Ericsson started the company Ericsson and Anders Celcius invented
the Celcius scale.
The traditional engineering industry is still a major source of Swedish
inventions, but pharmaceuticals, electronics and other high-tech
industries are gaining ground. Tetra Pak was an invention for storing
liquid foods, Losec, was the world's best-selling drug in the 1990s,
developed by AstraZeneca.
Today, Sweden owns the highest number of patents per million
inhabitants in the world, considering the small population it is quite
remarkable that only ten other countries hold more patents than
Sweden.
Alfred Nobel, inventor of
dynamite
Carl Linnaeus, one of the fathers
of modern ecology
Anders Celsius, inventor of
the Celsius temperature.
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Health
Healthcare in Sweden is similar in quality to
other developed nations. Sweden ranks in
the top five with respect to low infant
mortality. It ranks no one in life expectancy
in Europe and second in the Human
Development Index.
Swedish women have their first child in average at 30 years old, the oldest in Europe together
with Ireland and Netherlands. Parental leave in Sweden are among the most generous in the
world: all working parents are entitled to 16 months paid leave per child, and to encourage
greater paternal involvement, a minimum of 2 months is required to be used by the father.
The health care system is governed by the 21 “landsting” of Sweden and is funded by taxes,
with only nominal fees for patients.
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Education
Children aged 1–5 years old are guaranteed a place in a public kinder garden, and between
the age of 6 and 16 children attend compulsory comprehensive school. After completing
the 9th grade, 90% continue with a three-year upper secondary school. The school system
is largely financed by taxes and offers among other services free lunch, free bus transport,
and after-school centres open to all children with working parents, up to the age of 12.
There are a large number of universities in Sweden, the oldest and largest ones are situated
in Uppsala, Lund, Gothenburg and Stockholm.
All education is free for Swedish and EU students,
tuition fees were only recently imposed for university
studies for students from outside the EU.
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Fashion
Interest in fashion is big in Sweden and the country is headquartering famous brands
like H&M, J. Lindeberg, Acne, Gina Tricot, Lindex, Tiger of Sweden, Odd Molly,
Cheap Monday, Dr. Denim, Gant, Resteröds, Nudie Jeans, WESC, WAX and Filippa
K within its borders.
These companies, however, are composed largely of buyers who import fashionable
goods from throughout Europe and America, continuing the trend of Swedish
business toward multinational economic dependency like many of its neighbours.
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Cinema
Swedes have been fairly prominent in the film area through the years, several successful
Swedish Hollywood actors can be mentioned: Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Max von
Sydow, Dolph Lundgren, Lena Olin, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams, Stellan Skarsgård, Peter
Stormare, Izabella Scorupco, Pernilla August, Anita Ekberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Ingrid
Thulin and Malin Åkerman.
Amongst several directors who have made internationally successful films can be
mentioned: Ingmar Bergman, Lukas Moodysson and Lasse Hallström.
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Sweden is the world’s third largest producer of pop
music, with ABBA, Roxette, Meja, the Ark, BWO, EType, Millencolin, Robyn, Europe, Hammerfall, Mando
Diao, the Knife, the Hives, In Flames, Ace of Base and
the Cardigans among its best-selling artists.
Swedish producers like Max Martin frequently records
and writes major hits for stars like Britney Spears, Celine
Dion, Bon Jovi, Backstreet Boys, Madonna, A-ha,
NSYNC, Usher, Pink, Katy Perry and Pitbull.
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5 top reasons to study in Gothenburg
• Modern City Campus
Everything within walking distance, a vivid city and friendly atmosphere
• International School with high Academic Standard
EQUIS-accredited and AACSB members
Over 130 courses in English
• ”In the heart of Scandinavia”
Easy access to the Scandinavian capitals Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen
• Excellent Student Services
Housing Service, Free Insurance, Pick-up Service, Introduction
Programme, Mentor Programme, Social activities, Trips etc.
• A safe country where everyone speaks English
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Welcome to Explore Sweden!
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