Ecology as a norm of life. Sweden. Middle Ages, modernity and pure nature of Sweden Human influence on the nature of Sweden

Sweden (officially this country is called the Kingdom of Sweden) is a state located in the northern part of Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula (Scandinavian Peninsula). The area of the entire territory of Sweden is about 449,964 km2, which is comparable to the area of Uzbekistan. IN Russian Federation would fit approximately 38.5 Swedens! Nevertheless, the Kingdom deservedly ranks 5th in area in all of Europe after Russia, Ukraine, France and.

Few people know that Sweden is located beyond the Arctic Circle, which means winter time There is a polar night here, and in the summer there is a polar day. Polar night and day are phenomena in which the Sun practically does not set below the horizon or does not appear because of it for more than a day. To survive such periods, residents of the Kingdom have to take vitamins and fight the terrible reluctance to wake up early “at night” and fall asleep with the sun’s rays hitting their faces “during the day.” But the Swedes are not discouraged and see the positives in everything: they enjoy the northern lights and the opportunity to launch beautiful fireworks at any time of the day, they are charged with energy and a positive mood from the sun that never goes away...

Geographical location and geology

The length of the Swedish borders is 2233 km, while most of its borders “touch” with the Kingdom of Norway (1619 km), then with Finland (615 km), and the rest is a water border with Baltic Sea and Botanical Bay, as well as several bays separating Sweden and Denmark. The kingdom also owns 2 fairly large Baltic islands: Gotland and Öland, as well as several very small ones.

Relief, volcanoes and mountains

Needless to say, Sweden is rich in tall mountains and volcanoes - there are only 12 peaks above 2000 meters, the highest of which is Kebnekaise. The height is this mountain range is 2106 meters above sea level. But there are no active (active) volcanoes in Sweden at all. However, the Kingdom was not spared by the “natural disaster” that happened not so long ago - in 2010. One of the volcanoes in Iceland, rich in seismic activity, under the name Eyjafjallajökull, which is difficult for a Russian speaker to pronounce, began to erupt in March of that year. The amount of ash emissions released into the atmosphere was incredible. A huge cloud of ash was carried by westerly winds towards Europe. After Iceland, sunlight was hidden from human eyes in Norway, Sweden, and then in almost all of Europe. The ashes settled quite quickly - less than a month after the incident, the sky over European countries was clear. Despite the rapid drop in emissions for several days, the whole of Europe stopped communicating with the rest of the World by flights.

Hundreds of flights had to be canceled and rescheduled. This event is still remembered, and many stories were made about it for news channels around the world. Some said that the ash cloud would reach Russia, but this never happened. Returning to the topography of the earth's crust, it is important to note that Sweden is not one large plain - although there are not very many mountains there, there are more than enough hills and fields, rocks, lakes and rivers for such a small state. Wide coastlines, behind which the fresh one mysteriously froze coniferous forest. It hides forest dwellers going about their business, hides small villages, hides many tiny streams, rivers and lakes. An inspiring picture of a cold and secretive Northern European Kingdom immediately pops into your head.

Climate

Sweden is located in two main climatic zones- is subarctic (in the northern and eastern parts countries) and moderate (in the south and west). Most of the subarctic (as it is also called the subpolar) part is occupied by glaciers; it is there that the polar days and nights are longer, and the northern lights are brighter. In parts with a temperate climate weather much softer. The main roles in shaping the climate of the small Kingdom were played by the Scandinavian mountains, which do not allow the winds that come with Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, bringing moisture and warmth to the cold northern country. Due to the high humidity in Sweden there are many swamps, heavy rainfall and frequent fogs, giving the Kingdom that very Scandinavian mystery and perhaps even charm.

Reservoirs within the state, on its mainland

The whole world knows Sweden not only for its foggy forests that seem to exude freshness, but also for its huge number of lakes. Lakes alone occupy about 10% of the total area of the state, and yet it is also rich in other bodies of water such as rivers! In the Kingdom there are only more than 4000 lakes with an area exceeding 1 km2! It is difficult to imagine what their total number is, including even the small ones located in the middle of dense forests. Lake Vänern is considered the largest in area with a value of 5519 km2, and the deepest is Khurnavan, to reach the bottom of which you will have to dive 221 meters under water! The largest long rivers in Sweden there are only 7: Thorneälven (522 km), Dalälven (520 km), Umeälven (470 km), Luleälven (461 km), Kaliksälven (461 km), Klarälven (460 km) and Indalsälven (430 km). It’s hard not to notice that at the end of every name of almost every river in the Kingdom there is the root -elven-, which translated from Swedish alven means “river”.

Flora of the Kingdom of Sweden

Nerds share everything vegetable world Scandinavian Kingdom into 5 separate extensive “branches”: the region of northern latitudes and mountain peaks; an area of forests with trees with crooked trunks, otherwise this territory is called “crooked forest”; an area of coniferous forests in the north of the state, which is the most extensive in Sweden); area of coniferous forests in the south of the state; area of pine and beech forests.

In addition to zonal natural areas, there are also azonal ones: for example, near numerous lakes the vegetation is much richer and more lush than in relatively dry places for Sweden; in almost every swamp (which, by the way, together occupy about 14% of the entire area of the Kingdom) and their surroundings there is its own special microflora, unique plant world. Various types forests occupy about 65% of the total area small country. If we add up these and the above data on the occupancy of the territory, such an amazing thing becomes clear: about 90% of the entire small kingdom is occupied by nature, the miraculous world, and only 10% is allocated settlements with a high number of people per square kilometer.

Some choose to live deep in dense forests or, more often, on the shores of lonely small lakes in wooden huts. Many city dwellers often go to such places to escape from the bustle of the city, from a large number of people and constant distractions, and “hide” in a quiet and peaceful place near a small village. Many people practice meditation or yoga, and practice “communication with nature.” In Sweden great amount lonely hermits living in the wilds and devoting their lives only to themselves and nature.

A favorite “natural attraction” of tourists is one of the most ancient trees on our planet, whose age, according to scientists, is more than 2500 years old, and its roots are even older - for about 9000 years they have not stopped their development and have not died to this day! Its mass and volume are incomparable with anything on the planet, without considering inanimate nature and man-made structures - this tree is an absolute winner, because it is the heaviest and largest in size of all living organisms on Earth. Scientists gave the oldest giant sequoiadendron in the world (the generally accepted name of the species of this amazing plant) a separate “name” - General Sherman. It acquired this name back in 1879 thanks to Major General, later Army General William Tecumseh Sherman, who became famous in wide circles after civil war in the United States of America.

Fauna of Sweden

Sweden is quite poor in various species of mammals, but their number is enviable. In the northern part, especially in Lapland, it is common to see entire herds of reindeer. In coniferous and deciduous forests there are animals common to temperate climate zones: foxes, hares, small rodents, martens, brown bears, lynxes with wolverines and other similar species.

With the variety of birds in the kingdom, things are much better - there are more than 340 species, but they are not unique - swans, seagulls and ducks are commonplace for all northern European countries. The same “fate” befell the inhabitants of rivers, seas and lakes - there are about 160 species of fish, which, like birds and mammals, are found almost everywhere, for example trout, perch, salmon...

At first glance, it is inexplicable that one of Sweden's many mammal species is the American norm. Where did she even come from here? The fact is that having brought this amazing animal from the United States, no one suspected that it could spread throughout Europe, but, refuting their assumptions, that’s what happened. The population has increased so dramatically that no one could have expected, but the American mink is now the most common animal in Sweden, which now seems to have lived in their climate since the beginning of time.

Ecology and nature protection

In the kingdom on this moment many were inaugurated national parks, as well as more than 1000 nature reserves. She became the first European state with a system of national parks - the first of these was opened already in the 9th year of the last century! The government spent more than 400 million Swedish crowns (translated into rubles at the current exchange rate, 400 million crowns are approximately equal to 2.87349725 x 10 to the 9th power of rubles - an unimaginable amount) on research and development of ecology in the country, in particular, largely on getting rid of harmful exhaust gases and air purification. It must be said that all efforts were not in vain - Sweden is on the list of the 10 most environmentally friendly countries on the globe.

In Sweden, two large natural regions can be distinguished: Northern Sweden (where the eastern slopes of the Scandinavian Highlands are crossed by numerous wide, deep valleys that contain elongated narrow lakes. In the interfluves large areas occupied by swamps. In some valleys there are significant areas of fertile soils formed on fine-grained sands and loams; they are mainly used for pasture. Agriculture in the valleys is possible up to an altitude of approximately 750m. above sea level. Northern Sweden experienced relatively little influence economic activity people and is quite sparsely populated) and Southern Sweden (which differs from Northern Sweden in its high population density and high concentration of industry and Agriculture on its territory).

Within the higher elevations of Northern Sweden, three vertical belts are distinguished:

· upper, including the eastern periphery of the Scandinavian Highlands, replete with lakes;
· middle, covering the Norrland plateau with a cover of moraine deposits and peatlands;
· lower - with a predominance of marine sediments on the plains along the western coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.

Within the southern part of the country there are the plains of Central Sweden, the Småland plateau and the plains of the Skåne Peninsula.

Regarding the climate, we can add that since the territory of Sweden has a significant extent in the submeridional direction, in the north of the country it is much colder and the growing season is shorter than in the south. The length of day and night varies accordingly. However, in general, Sweden is characterized by a greater frequency of sunny and dry weather compared to many other countries in North-West Europe, especially in winter. Despite the fact that 15% of the country is located beyond the Arctic Circle, and all of it is located north of 55° N, due to the influence of winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is quite mild. Such climatic conditions favorable for the development of forests, comfortable living for people and more productive agriculture than in continental regions located at the same latitudes. Throughout Sweden, winters are long and summers are short.

The country's water resources are the numerous rivers of Sweden, among which there is not a single very large one; they all form a dense network and are of considerable economic importance. Fast-flowing rivers are widely used for energy production. Timber rafting is carried out along many rivers. The largest lakes in the kingdom are Vänern with an area of 5545 km2, Vättern with an area of 1898 km2, Mälaren with an area of 1140 km2 and Elmaren with an area of 479 km2. These lakes are navigable and are important transport system countries, they carry out various freight transportation. Numerous narrow, elongated, finger-shaped lakes in the Swedish mountains are used primarily for timber rafting. Lake Siljan, located in the historical center of the Swedish state, is exceptionally picturesque.

Among the water canals of the state, the Goeta Canal is the most important, connecting largest lakes the countries of Vänern and Vättern. Thanks to this channel, communication is carried out between important industrial centers - these are cities such as Stockholm in the east, Gothenburg in the south- west coast, Jönköping at the southern tip of Lake Vättern and many other cities located in Central Sweden. Other large water canals in Sweden are Elmaren, Strömsholm, Trollhättan, which bypasses the waterfalls on the Göta Älv river and Södertälje, which is one of the first in the country and is still in operation.

Sweden - great country to visit with many interesting places. Anyone planning a trip to Sweden should learn about its attractions.

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and also the most densely populated city among all Scandinavian countries. It is home to almost a million people. The city is located on 14 islands. Many people believe that outwardly this is the most beautiful city in Scandinavia. There you can take photos at literally every turn: from historical and modern colorful houses to beautiful islands and parks near the harbor.

A trip to Stockholm will be remembered for a long time: this Scandinavian city has a huge number of museums, art exhibition halls, statues, fountains and parks. Tourists tend to visit such interesting places as the Vasa Museum and the Stockholm Public Library. The metro with its art galleries is also attractive. Stockholm is not a cheap city. But staying here even for a few days is worth the money spent.

Gothenburg

Gothenburg - amazing city. It's definitely worth staying there for at least a few days. During this time, you can discover interesting places and tourist attractions.

It is the second largest city located on the west coast of Sweden. It is located approximately 6 hours from Stockholm. it's the same Big city with many tourist attractions. It is definitely worth a visit for everyone who is going to Sweden. It is impossible to list all its interesting places, but the following are especially worth noting:

big fish market,
Martiman museum,
Volvo factory,
20 islands,
amusement park Liseberg,
main boulevard of Gothenburg,
original Viking ship in the Gothenburg City Museum,
Gothenburg Art Museum,
house-museum.

And also many, many others. Here you can even visit the Nordkaperen submarine or go to the top of the hill to see the panorama of the city.

Uppsala

An ancient city located 70 km from Stockholm and 20 minutes from Arlanda airport. Uppsala is rich in unique cultural and historical treasures. The city has managed to retain its provincial charm while at the same time offering guests wide choose all kinds of shops, restaurants and entertainment.

The Füris River divides Uppsala into two parts: historical (western) and administrative (to the east). Most of the city is located on the western part. Here you can visit:

Cathedral - main cathedral in the city. It is also the largest church in Scandinavia. Many Swedish kings were buried here.
Carl Linnaeus's garden, which has a greenhouse.
Botanical gardens.
Uppsala Castle. Here you can see works by artists of the 16th century and more modern masters.

Linköping

Linköping is a much smaller city than Stockholm and Gothenburg. But it has its own unique atmosphere - especially in autumn and winter. At this time, the whole city turns neon and looks simply amazing.

The city residents themselves call it “a place where ideas become reality.” In the 80s of the last century, the city administration decided to create a center for the study of innovations and high technologies on the basis of the local university. This decision gave a serious impetus to the development of the city. On the other hand, it also has many historical attractions:

Linköping Cathedral, built in 1230,
the town hall, where the church and church schools were located in the Middle Ages,
city Library,
"Gamla Linköping" - the historical part of the city,
museum air force open air.

Big fans of innovative technologies and everything connected with them can visit the world's first Museum of Computers and Servers.

Unusual hotels

Sweden - amazing country strange hotels. A tourist can stay overnight in a tree house and sleep inside ice cave, deep underground in a silver mine or underwater in a floating hotel. Unfortunately, all of these places are usually very expensive. But if your financial capabilities allow, it’s definitely worth a try. One of these unusual hotels is the uncivilized hotel "Kolarbin":

The ice hotel is also known for its unusualness. It is being built from December to April, but reservations must be made at least a month before arrival - otherwise there may simply be no places left.

Viking city Birka

Located 30 km from Stockholm. This is where you can completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Viking life. This medieval town often hosts a variety of themed events.

Ales-Stenar's grave made of stones in Ystad

Sweden has its own attraction, which is not inferior to Stonehenge in terms of mystery and popularity. In the small fishing town of Koseberke, located 80 km from Malmö, visitors to the country can see mystical stones called Ales Stenar. This monument includes 59 vertical boulders that are dug into the ground. If you connect them with one line, they will form the outline of a ship. Some stones weigh about five tons.

Research has shown that this structure was built about 1,400 years ago. But almost nothing else is known about these boulders: their true purpose and the origin of the name remain a mystery. Historians believe that these boulders in the past were tombstones, inside of which there were burials of noble persons. Another option is that the boulders are monuments to sunken ships.

There is a legend that the man buried at Alès Stenar is a figure from Swedish myth: King El the Strong. Most likely, he was one of the most influential Vikings.

Abisko National Park

Near the Norwegian border, on the edge of Lapland, is one of the most popular Swedish nature parks among tourists - Abisko. It is open to visitors all year round. Many hiking routes start from the Abisko tourist station.

Each of them is equipped with special huts where travelers can relax. In summer and autumn in high esteem walking routes; in the winter season - skiing. One of the most popular routes involves climbing Mount Naoya. The most persistent tourists who manage to climb it will be treated to an amazing view of the stretching natural landscapes.

One of the most popular places for northern lights hunters - Aurora Sky station. It is also located in national park Abisko. If you're lucky, you can see there northern lights. Its incredible beauty attracts tourists from all over the world. Usually, observation of the natural wonder opens on November 17th. They usually get to the station by train or car. You can also choose a plane, but the price will be at least twice as expensive.

Is in Northern Europe, and occupies the east and south of Scandinavia - the largest peninsula in this part of the world. In terms of territory, the country is “not one of the last” - fifth place among other European countries. It borders with Norway - from the west, with Finland - from the north-east, and the lands in the east and south are washed by the waters of the Baltic; in the south it borders by sea with Denmark. There are two in the Baltic Sea big islands, belonging to Sweden: Gotland - a paradise for archaeologists and treasure hunters, and Öland, which for many centuries served as a hunting ground for the royal family.

Swedish climate – moderation and tranquility

Although Sweden is a northern country, the climate in most of its territory is temperate. It is still colder in the northern and western regions: air from the Atlantic is trapped by the mountains that form the legendary fjords. Winter is considered long, and it is true: in March there is almost no smell of spring, but according to our understanding, there are no severe frosts even in January - the thermometer rarely drops below -18°C. In the south and southwest there is generally a slight minus, but there is a lot of snow almost everywhere, with the exception of the flat areas of the north. Summer in Sweden is not hot, but cool and warm - 20-22°C, although there is not much rain.

When to go to Sweden? Of course, in winter or early spring, if you like winter views sports and entertainment; or in the summer, when the water in the lakes is clear and there are a lot of mushrooms and berries in the green forests - the ecology in Sweden is “at its best.”

City attractions are also easier to explore in summer: of course, there are fewer tourists in cities in spring and autumn, but the weather is not so favorable.

Some attractions of Swedish cities

Sweden is rich in attractions - both natural, cultural and historical. But a considerable part of them are concentrated in Stockholm, the capital of the country, one of the most elegant cities in the world. " Old city", or Gamla Stan, is considered the main value of the capital, one of the largest and best-preserved historical centers - it has hardly changed for several centuries: Stockholm began from here in the 13th century. Stortorget Square, surrounded by houses of different colors, is the center of Gamla Stan. Most of the houses have been here for 300-400 years and look great. It is worth paying attention to the ancient building of the Stock Exchange, which now houses a museum, a big library and Academy of Sciences.

The royal palace was built at the end of the 17th century, but it was unlucky then: the barely completed building burned down, and everything had to be rebuilt. The palace that exists today has more than 600 rooms, and officially it is active - it is the residence of the royal family. At the moment, of all the operating royal palaces in the world, it is considered the largest.

An interesting attraction is the Iron Boy, a small metal figurine only 15 cm tall; in Sweden he is very loved, although there is no history associated with him. It’s just that the sculptor depicted him in such a way that everyone wants to pat the sitting iron baby on the head, and the locals also dress him in different outfits, especially in winter; It is also customary to leave small coins nearby for good luck. In Gamla Stan there is another attraction that the Swedes are proud of - the monument to St. George slaying the Dragon. A bronze copy is installed on the square, and in the Church of St. Nicholas - the original sculpture.

Many monuments were damaged during the war, but by the end of the 20th century they were restored, and now Gamla Stan, where you can again feel the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, attracts the attention of many tourists.

In Gothenburg - the first largest after Stockholm, it is famous Opera theatre- an original modern building built in the last decade of the 20th century. Both the stage and the auditorium are equipped with the latest technology; Not only operas are performed here, but also ballets, music and dance shows, and musicals. Gothenburg is a beautiful and rich city, and it is interesting not only for its culture and history, but also for its wonderful landscapes: the Swedes themselves consider its surroundings the most beautiful places countries. Both adults and children can have a complete relaxation in the Liseberg amusement and amusement park: it is the largest not only in Sweden, but throughout Scandinavia, and is also included in the top ten amusement parks in the world.

All Swedish cities are attractive in their own way, and they cannot be described briefly. But the third largest is Malmo, which is quite ancient and colorful: it dates back to the 13th century, and in the 15th century it was a large shopping center. Now it is transport and industrial centre, with many modern buildings and structures. Among them, a spectacular landmark is considered to be a 54-story building called “Turning Torso”, 190 m high - as it grows higher, the building constantly twists clockwise. Among the ancient buildings, the 16th century Malmöhus fortress and the Church of St. Peter, built of brick in gothic style. In the same city there is one of the largest museums in Europe - Art Museum Malmö.

And many more interesting things

Sweden has many interesting places, in addition to medieval and modern urban wonders. For example, the building of Ales Stenar is the “Swedish Stonehenge”, no less mysterious, but less famous than the English monument. 59 huge stones are lined up and dug into the ground on the coast in the form of a drakkar, although this place is considered both a burial ground and an ancient calendar; versions vary, but the structure is believed to be at least 1,400 years old. There is a sign: if you walk around the entire structure at sunset, touching every stone, you can absorb the energy of this sacred place.

And in the city of Jukkasjärvi you can relax in an “extreme” snow and ice hotel, which is no longer the only one of its kind: there are such establishments in Norway, Finland, and Canada. There are few rooms there - only four, and there are always guests. Almost everything is made of ice and ice blocks - even the glasses at the bar, but the beds are still not ice. You can rent a room for a day - at a temperature of -7°C it is better not to stay long. This building is built anew every year - in December, and with a new design - and melts in April; Original exhibitions of ice sculptures are also held here.

A little about the nature of Sweden

The beautiful and pure nature of Sweden deserves special description. As in Finland, it is strictly protected, but there are no restrictions on visiting natural lands no: anyone can safely enter even private property. Like the Finns, the Swedes carefully protect their natural values, and attitudes like ours - litter, fires, broken trees - are simply unimaginable for them.

It is prohibited to drive cars and motorcycles “out into nature” - you can walk or ride a bicycle, and even then not everywhere: dirt roads on private property must not be damaged. You can swim and boat in any body of water, except in nature reserves with rare animals; in many lakes you can fish without a license - with a fishing rod; flowers, mushrooms and berries can also be collected if they are not listed in the Red Book. Even dogs should not be let off leash at certain times of the year, so as not to disturb wild animals during the mating season.

So, it is better to go to Sweden from May to August, but many are interested in both the Christmas holidays and the New Year - a time of cheerful mass celebrations, bright parties and fireworks.

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