ABSTRACT
Sweden is characterized by a number of traits. As a country, it is:
a quite wealthy nation despite economic setbacks of various kinds in the last decade;
characterized by its Scandinavian general and political culture; included in this is its democratic institutions and styles of operation, which have been established over considerable time and without periods of civil war or dictatorships;
characterized by engineering skills and ways of doing things that have deep roots going back hundreds of years, including mining competence and metallurgical skills which have created a high-tech, well-educated workforce with a strong work ethic;
known for its strong self-esteem and pride in its environmental ethos, as well as its avant-garde policy posture vis à vis the rest of the world.
