Sweden and big cities. The red boarders are regional parts.

Sweden has an area of 450,000 km 2 (174,000 sq. mi.) similar to California, Cameroon, Iraq, Spain or Thailand. Half its land surface is covered with forest. Less than 10% is farmland. Nearly 100,000 lakes dot the countryside, which is relatively flat. A long mountain chain in the northwest reaches heights of up to 2,111 m (6,926 ft). There are thousands of islands along the jagged coast. The warm Gulf Stream in the Atlantic gives Sweden a milder climate than other areas equally far north. Stockholm, the capital, is at almost the same latitude as southern Greenland but has an average temperature of about +18°C (64°F) in July. The winter temperatures average slightly below freezing and snowfall is moderate. Far northern Sweden has long and cold winters and bright summers of moderate temperatures; in June and July daylights lasts around the clock.