These are the criteras established by the Minority Language Committee, influenced by the directives from the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1997. To be accorded official minority status, a language must have been spoken in Sweden for a significant amount of time. A precise figure has not been revealed, but qualified estimations consider 100 years to be reasonable, based on the included and excluded languages. A significant immigration to Sweden did not start until after World War I, and many languages currently spoken by a large ...

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Minority languages of Sweden, Minority languages of Sweden - Criteria for inclusion, Minority languages of Sweden - Affected languages, Minority languages of Sweden - Sami languages, Minority languages of Sweden - Meänkieli, Minority languages of Sweden - Standard Finnish, Minority languages of Sweden - Romani, Minority languages of Sweden - Yiddish, Minority languages of Sweden - Reference

Read more here: » Minority languages of Sweden: Encyclopedia II - Minority languages of Sweden - Criteria for inclusion

The main industry has always been dominated by its harbour. There is a ferry line between the town and Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, for more information see http://www.destinationgotland.se/ It has two local newspapers: Oskarshamns-Tidningen (conservative) and Nyheterna (social democratic). ...

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Oskarshamn Municipality, Oskarshamn Municipality - History, Oskarshamn Municipality - Coat of arms, Oskarshamn Municipality - Recent history, Oskarshamn Municipality - Industry, Oskarshamn Municipality - Notability

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The term is not used in official contexts and is seldom used or even known by most Swedes, though fairly popular within the region itself; especially by regionalists. When defining the region in more general context the names of the individual provinces are used, or it is considered as being part of Götaland (even if Skåneland historically could be considered a separate region). Skåneland - Origin of name. The name Skåneland was since long a denomination of the Scani ...

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Skåneland, Skåneland - Official status, Skåneland - Origin of name, Skåneland - History, Skåneland - Early history, Skåneland - From the Kalmar Union to Denmark's Loss of Skåne Blekinge and Halland, Skåneland - Assimilation with Sweden, Skåneland - Recent history, Skåneland - Swedish Governors-General, Skåneland - Modern usage

Read more here: » Skåneland: Encyclopedia II - Skåneland - Official status

The most wide-spread usage of the term Skåneland today is by regionalists who desire to stress the culturally unique features of the region. The proper term Skånelandskap is of historical significance as a common name for Swedish areas formerly belonging to Denmark, though neither is generally used among modern Swedish historians or in government administration. Because of the revived notions of a common cultural heritage, separate from that of the national state of Sweden, Skåneland has become a member of UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation) and FUEN (Federal Union of European Nati ...

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Skåneland, Skåneland - Official status, Skåneland - Origin of name, Skåneland - History, Skåneland - Early history, Skåneland - From the Kalmar Union to Denmark's Loss of Skåne Blekinge and Halland, Skåneland - Assimilation with Sweden, Skåneland - Recent history, Skåneland - Swedish Governors-General, Skåneland - Modern usage

Read more here: » Skåneland: Encyclopedia II - Skåneland - Modern usage

Like many other Germanic languages, Swedish has a tendency for closed syllables with a relatively large amount of consonant clusters in initial as well as final position. Though not as complex as that of most Slavic languages, examples of up to 7 consecutive consonants can occur when adding Swedish inflections to some foreign loanwords or names, and especially when combined with the tendency of Swedish to make long compound nouns. The syllable structure of Swedish can therefore be described with the followin ...

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Swedish phonology, Swedish phonology - Standard pronunciation, Swedish phonology - Vowels, Swedish phonology - Long vowels, Swedish phonology - Short vowels, Swedish phonology - Consonants, Swedish phonology - Plosives, Swedish phonology - Fricatives, Swedish phonology - /r/-realizations, Swedish phonology - Laterals, Swedish phonology - Nasals, Swedish phonology - Phonotactics, Swedish phonology - Sample, Swedish phonology - Broad transcription, Swedish phonology - Narrow transcription, Swedish phonology - Orthographic version

Read more here: » Swedish phonology: Encyclopedia II - Swedish phonology - Phonotactics

Some affectionately call Visby the "city of roses and ruins" and natives to the island often just say "town". Whether it lives up to that distinction among other old Swedish cities is debatable. In August the tourist season is at its peak. In week 32 from Sunday to Sunday the annual Medieval Week (Medeltidsveckan) is held. During this time regularly dressed tourists are outnumbered by people dressed in Medieval costumes. The festival started in 1984. There are a variety of events: music, jesters, theater, a medieval market, jousting tournaments and much more. See the exte ...

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Visby, Visby - History, Visby - Sights, Visby - Gallery, Visby - Miscellaneous, Visby - Notable natives

Read more here: » Visby: Encyclopedia II - Visby - Sights

...

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Visby, Visby - History, Visby - Sights, Visby - Gallery, Visby - Miscellaneous, Visby - Notable natives

Read more here: » Visby: Encyclopedia II - Visby - Gallery

Like many other Germanic languages, Swedish has long and short vowels. The length covariates with the quality of the vowels, as shown below. As a rule, although not without exceptions, the place of articulation varies between long and short vowels. Unstressed vowels are always short. Swedish phonology - Long vowels. /ɛː/ and /øː/ are lowered when followed by See also:

Swedish phonology, Swedish phonology - Standard pronunciation, Swedish phonology - Vowels, Swedish phonology - Long vowels, Swedish phonology - Short vowels, Swedish phonology - Consonants, Swedish phonology - Plosives, Swedish phonology - Fricatives, Swedish phonology - /r/-realizations, Swedish phonology - Laterals, Swedish phonology - Nasals, Swedish phonology - Phonotactics, Swedish phonology - Sample, Swedish phonology - Broad transcription, Swedish phonology - Narrow transcription, Swedish phonology - Orthographic version

Read more here: » Swedish phonology: Encyclopedia II - Swedish phonology - Vowels

Contrary to the situation with Danish, or Finnish there can't be said to exist any completely uniform nation-wide spoken Standard Swedish. Instead there are (at least) three regional standard varieties (acrolects or prestige dialects), i.e. the most intelligible or prestigious forms of spoken Swedish, each within their area. The three main varieties are: Central Standard Swedish Finland- ...

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Swedish phonology, Swedish phonology - Standard pronunciation, Swedish phonology - Vowels, Swedish phonology - Long vowels, Swedish phonology - Short vowels, Swedish phonology - Consonants, Swedish phonology - Plosives, Swedish phonology - Fricatives, Swedish phonology - /r/-realizations, Swedish phonology - Laterals, Swedish phonology - Nasals, Swedish phonology - Phonotactics, Swedish phonology - Sample, Swedish phonology - Broad transcription, Swedish phonology - Narrow transcription, Swedish phonology - Orthographic version

Read more here: » Swedish phonology: Encyclopedia II - Swedish phonology - Standard pronunciation

Usually, the adversary in tactical wargames and scenarios is thought to use equipment from the former Warsaw Pact, although a specific country is never mentioned for political reasons. The majority of Swedish equipment is NATO compatible, and most scenarios include some form of cooperation with one or more of the NATO members. Recent political decisions have strongly emphasized the will to participate in international peace support operations, to the point where this has become the ma ...

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Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Armed Forces - Possible enemies, Swedish Armed Forces - Current deployments, Swedish Armed Forces - Training, Swedish Armed Forces - Military Ranks, Swedish Armed Forces - Organization, Swedish Armed Forces - Branches, Swedish Armed Forces - Military Districts, Swedish Armed Forces - Schools, Swedish Armed Forces - Centres, Swedish Armed Forces - Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence, Swedish Armed Forces - Voluntary Defence Organizations

Read more here: » Swedish Armed Forces: Encyclopedia II - Swedish Armed Forces - Possible enemies

Swedish military ranks, essentially corresponds to those used by the armed forces of the English speaking world. Swedish ranks correspond even more closely to those in German usage due to linguistic similarities. See comparative military ranks. There are two different systems of rank for commissioned officers, depending on whether one is commissioned according to the system used in the Army, or the one in the Navy. The Air Force and the n ...

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Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Armed Forces - Possible enemies, Swedish Armed Forces - Current deployments, Swedish Armed Forces - Training, Swedish Armed Forces - Military Ranks, Swedish Armed Forces - Organization, Swedish Armed Forces - Branches, Swedish Armed Forces - Military Districts, Swedish Armed Forces - Schools, Swedish Armed Forces - Centres, Swedish Armed Forces - Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence, Swedish Armed Forces - Voluntary Defence Organizations

Read more here: » Swedish Armed Forces: Encyclopedia II - Swedish Armed Forces - Military Ranks

Living history reenactors usually focus on recreating the civilian, or non-military, life during the Middle Ages. Authentic camping, cooking, practicing historical skills and trades, and even playing historical board games by a campfire are all examples of activities related to living history. ...

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Medieval reenactment, Medieval reenactment - Living History, Medieval reenactment - Combat Reenactment, Medieval reenactment - Battlefield Reenactment, Medieval reenactment - Display Fighting, Medieval reenactment - Reenactment in Europe

Read more here: » Medieval reenactment: Encyclopedia II - Medieval reenactment - Living History

Kubb is typically played on a rectangular pitch approximately 5m by 8m. Although there are no official rules as to the size of the field, the dimensions can be altered for younger players or to accommodate faster games. Typically the pitch is grass, but kubb could also be played on sand, snow, or dirt. Stakes are driven into the ground at the corners of the pitch. No other markers are used to demark the field's boundries. The narrow ends are called "baselines." The king is placed in the center of the pitch, halfway between baselines. An imaginary line drawn through the king divi ...

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Kubb, Kubb - History, Kubb - Game pieces, Kubb - Setup, Kubb - Rules

Read more here: » Kubb: Encyclopedia II - Kubb - Setup

The first period of independence lasted 22 years, beginning in 1918. Estonia underwent a number of economic, social, and political reforms necessary to come to terms with its new status as a sovereign state. Economically and socially, land reform in 1919 was the most important step. Large estate holdings belonging to the Baltic nobility were redistributed among the peasants and especially among volunteers in the Estonian War of Independence. Estonia's principal markets became Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and western Europe, with some ex ...

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History of Estonia, History of Estonia - Pre-history, History of Estonia - The Conquest, History of Estonia - The Middle Ages, History of Estonia - Swedish Period, History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia, History of Estonia - Independence, History of Estonia - Period of Soviet and German Occupation, History of Estonia - Creation of Estonian SSR, History of Estonia - German Occupation, History of Estonia - After World War II, History of Estonia - Regaining Independence, History of Estonia - Time line, History of Estonia - Prehistory, History of Estonia - Livonian Period, History of Estonia - Swedish period, History of Estonia - Russian Period, History of Estonia - Independent Estonia

Read more here: » History of Estonia: Encyclopedia II - History of Estonia - Independence

Despite the emergence of the Popular Front and the Supreme Soviet as a new lawmaking body, since 1989 the different segments of the indigenous Estonian population had been politically mobilized by different and competing actors. The Popular Front's proposal, to declare the independence of Estonia as a new, so-called "third republic" whose citizens would be all those living there at the moment found less and less support over time. A grassroots Estonian Citizens' Committees Movement launched in 1989 with the objective of registering al ...

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History of Estonia, History of Estonia - Pre-history, History of Estonia - The Conquest, History of Estonia - The Middle Ages, History of Estonia - Swedish Period, History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia, History of Estonia - Independence, History of Estonia - Period of Soviet and German Occupation, History of Estonia - Creation of Estonian SSR, History of Estonia - German Occupation, History of Estonia - After World War II, History of Estonia - Regaining Independence, History of Estonia - Time line, History of Estonia - Prehistory, History of Estonia - Livonian Period, History of Estonia - Swedish period, History of Estonia - Russian Period, History of Estonia - Independent Estonia

Read more here: » History of Estonia: Encyclopedia II - History of Estonia - Regaining Independence

History of Estonia - Prehistory. 98 Roman historian Tacitus writes in the book Germania about aesti tribes, but it is not clear if he is talking about the linguistic ancestors of modern Estonians. 6th century : The Guta Saga tells how vikings from Gotland sailed to Dagaithi island (Hiiumaa) and built a fortification there. 600 King Ingvar of Sweden invaded Estonia and was killed at the place called Stein and was buried in region of ...

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History of Estonia, History of Estonia - Pre-history, History of Estonia - The Conquest, History of Estonia - The Middle Ages, History of Estonia - Swedish Period, History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia, History of Estonia - Independence, History of Estonia - Period of Soviet and German Occupation, History of Estonia - Creation of Estonian SSR, History of Estonia - German Occupation, History of Estonia - After World War II, History of Estonia - Regaining Independence, History of Estonia - Time line, History of Estonia - Prehistory, History of Estonia - Livonian Period, History of Estonia - Swedish period, History of Estonia - Russian Period, History of Estonia - Independent Estonia

Read more here: » History of Estonia: Encyclopedia II - History of Estonia - Time line

Sweden's defeat by Russia in the Great Northern War in 1721 resulted in the Treaty of Nystad, and Russian rule was then imposed on what later became modern Estonia. Nonetheless, the legal system, Lutheran church, local and town governments, and education remained mostly German until the late 19th century and partially until 1918. By 1819, the Baltic provinces were the first in the Russian empire in which serfdom was abolished, the largely autonomous nobility allowing the peasants to own their own land or move to the cities. These move ...

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History of Estonia, History of Estonia - Pre-history, History of Estonia - The Conquest, History of Estonia - The Middle Ages, History of Estonia - Swedish Period, History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia, History of Estonia - Independence, History of Estonia - Period of Soviet and German Occupation, History of Estonia - Creation of Estonian SSR, History of Estonia - German Occupation, History of Estonia - After World War II, History of Estonia - Regaining Independence, History of Estonia - Time line, History of Estonia - Prehistory, History of Estonia - Livonian Period, History of Estonia - Swedish period, History of Estonia - Russian Period, History of Estonia - Independent Estonia

Read more here: » History of Estonia: Encyclopedia II - History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia

Human settlement became possible when the ice, from the last glacial era, melted away 11,000–13,000 years ago. The oldest known settlement in Estonia was located by the Pärnu River, near the town of Sindi (village Pulli). It dates back to the middle of the 8th millennium BC. (In 2004, another settlement was found near the place where river Reiu joins river Pärnu, it is probably 500-1000 years older than Pulli settlement). Previously known hunting and fishing communities from around 6500 BC had lived near the town of Kunda. Bone and stone ...

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History of Estonia, History of Estonia - Pre-history, History of Estonia - The Conquest, History of Estonia - The Middle Ages, History of Estonia - Swedish Period, History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia, History of Estonia - Independence, History of Estonia - Period of Soviet and German Occupation, History of Estonia - Creation of Estonian SSR, History of Estonia - German Occupation, History of Estonia - After World War II, History of Estonia - Regaining Independence, History of Estonia - Time line, History of Estonia - Prehistory, History of Estonia - Livonian Period, History of Estonia - Swedish period, History of Estonia - Russian Period, History of Estonia - Independent Estonia

Read more here: » History of Estonia: Encyclopedia II - History of Estonia - Pre-history

In Medieval and Modern Spain, the Visigoths were thought to be the origin of the Spanish nobility (compare Gobineau for a similar French idea). Somebody acting with arrogance would be said to be "haciéndose de los godos" ("making himself to come from the Goths"). Because of this, in Chile, Argentina and the Canary Islands, godo is an ethnic slur used against European Spaniards, who in the early colony ...

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Goths, Goths - Historical sources, Goths - History, Goths - Origins, Goths - Archaeology, Goths - Linguistics, Goths - Symbolic meaning, Goths - Notes

Read more here: » Goths: Encyclopedia II - Goths - Symbolic meaning

Uddevalla Örebro Köping Landskrona Kristianstad Östra Göinge Arvidsjaur More samples can be found on http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Coats_of_arms_of_Sweden ...

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Swedish heraldry, Swedish heraldry - Overview, Swedish heraldry - Samples, Swedish heraldry - List of cities, Swedish heraldry - Resources

Read more here: » Swedish heraldry: Encyclopedia II - Swedish heraldry - Samples

On the mainland: Emmaboda Hultsfred Högsby Kalmar Mönsterås Nybro Oskarshamn Torsås Vimmerby Västervik On Öland: Borgholm Mörbylånga ...

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Kalmar County, Kalmar County - Administration, Kalmar County - Municipalities, Kalmar County - Heraldry

Read more here: » Kalmar County: Encyclopedia II - Kalmar County - Municipalities

Sweden has been a monarchy for almost a millennium, with its taxation controlled by the Riksdag (parliament). It consisted of two chambers, made up by representatives from the 4 estates: clerics, nobility, townsmen and peasants, until 1866 when Sweden became a Constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament. Its First Chamber was indirectly elected by local governments, and the Second Chamber directly elected in national elections every four years. Legislative power was (symbolically) shared between king and parliame ...

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Sweden, Sweden - History, Sweden - Pre-history, Sweden - Middle Ages, Sweden - A major power, Sweden - Modern history, Sweden - Recent history, Sweden - Politics, Sweden - Energy politics, Sweden - Economy, Sweden - Welfare state, Sweden - Education, Sweden - Geography, Sweden - Counties, Sweden - Provinces, Sweden - Largest cities, Sweden - Demographics, Sweden - Language, Sweden - Culture, Sweden - Swedish Nobel Prize Winners, Sweden - Music, Sweden - Media, Sweden - Holidays, Sweden - Cuisine, Sweden - Sports, Sweden - Religion, Sweden - Miscellaneous topics, Sweden - International rankings, Sweden - Notes

Read more here: » Sweden: Encyclopedia II - Sweden - Politics