IN-DEPTH Sweden

The Land of a Thousand Islands

Sweden is the largest Nordic country by area and population. It covers 450,000 square kilometres and holds around 10.5 million people. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, with the Baltic Sea running along its eastern coastline. The country spans from the agricultural south — flat, fertile, and densely connected — to the subarctic north, where reindeer outnumber people and the sun does not set in summer. The coastline alone runs 2,700 kilometres, broken by over 270,000 islands. Most are uninhabited. Many are accessible only by ferry.

Lifestyle

The Swedish welfare model is one of the most studied in the world. High taxes fund free university education, universal healthcare, and 480 days of parental leave per child — shared between both parents. Sweden consistently ranks among the top countries globally for quality of life, gender equality, and social mobility. The system is not without tension — immigration, housing costs, and gang violence in certain cities have become significant political fault lines since 2015. Nevertheless, the structural foundation remains intact and the standard of living remains among the highest in Europe.

Cuisine

Swedish food culture runs on seasonality and restraint. The concept of lagom — just the right amount, not too much, not too little — applies to the plate as much as it does to social life. Fika is not simply a coffee break. It is a twice-daily ritual built into the working day — a pause with coffee and something baked, taken seriously enough that many Swedish employers schedule it. Husmanskost, the traditional home cooking tradition, centres on root vegetables, cured fish, lingonberries, and slow-cooked meat. The New Nordic movement that came out of Copenhagen in the 2000s drew heavily on Swedish larder traditions — fermenting, foraging, and preserving techniques that predate the trend by centuries.

Famous Brands

Sweden’s cultural exports are disproportionate to its size. ABBA, IKEA, Spotify, Volvo, H&M, and the Nobel Prize all came from a country of 10 million. Also, the Swedish music industry — producing Max Martin, Robyn, Avicii, and a generation of pop producers — has written a significant portion of the global charts since the 1990s. Stockholm alone has produced more number-one singles per capita than any city outside of Los Angeles and New York. The design industry tells a similar story. Swedish furniture, architecture, and industrial design share a consistent logic — functional, considered, and built to last without announcing itself.

Episodes

Stockholm

Stockholm is a city built on water, spread across 14 islands and connected by 57 bridges. In summer, the sun barely sets, turning the archipelago into a paradise of boating, swimming, and outdoor festivals that spill out from the colorful medieval streets of Gamla Stan. Winter transforms the capital into a cozy, candle-lit retreat where locals embrace fika culture and ice skating at Kungsträdgården. From the massive maritime history of the Vasa Museum to the artsy nightlife of Södermalm, Stockholm balances regal history with a modern, nature-focused pulse in every season.

Luleå

Luleå sits just south of the Arctic Circle on the frozen Gulf of Bothnia. In winter, the sea becomes a solid road thick enough for cars and a playground for speed skating marathons on clear, glass-like ice. The city of 80,000 avoids the tourist-resort feel, offering a working Arctic landscape of red wooden architecture, short blue-lit days, and a community-driven hockey culture that punches well above its weight. Whether dog sledding through snow-covered forests in February or enjoying the green coastal cottage life in summer, it is a city defined by its mastery of extremes.