The climate of Sweden. Features of climate and nature of the country

The Kingdom of Sweden is a European state in the north-west of Eurasia. The country lies in a temperate climatic zone, however the climate of Sweden differs in its various regions. What was the reason for this? What characterizes the nature and climate of Sweden? Let's find out.

Kingdom of Sweden

The country belongs to Northern Europe. It is the fifth largest among all European countries. There are more than ten million people in the country, about 60% live below 60 degrees of latitude. Its largest cities are Uppsala, Gothenburg, Malmö, among them the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Sweden is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, in addition, it owns the islands of Åland and Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The nearest neighbor in the west is Norway, in the north-east - Finland.

With Denmark, the country shares several straits. From the southern and eastern sides it is washed by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea, which belong to the Atlantic. Such proximity to the ocean largely influences the climate of Sweden.

The country's relief is mostly hilly. In the west along the border with Norway stretches a strip of Scandinavian mountains with the highest peak of 2126 meters. Between them and the Gulf of Bothnia there is a plateau and elevations, and in the south of the state there are plains.

Climate of Sweden

Weather conditions affect the country's shape, location, as well as relief. The climate of Sweden in the northern and southern regions is very different, because of its elongation. The country stretched from 55 to 69 degrees north latitude. A small part of its territory is beyond the Arctic Circle.

Most of it is located in the temperate zone, due to which the seasons are well pronounced here. Winters are mostly cold, and summers are warm. The extreme regions enter the subarctic belt, which is characterized by a short summer and prolonged winters.

The key to the climate of Sweden is the Atlantic and the Scandinavian mountains. The country goes north sufficiently deep to ensure that its weather conditions are severe and cold. But the warm current of the Gulf Stream, coming from the Caribbean, hinders this. The air heated by it softens the country's climate in the central and southern regions. Thus, they are much more favorable to life than the same latitudes in Russia.

The chain of the Scandinavian mountains affects the climate of Sweden quite the opposite. They are a barrier that does not let warm Atlantic winds, creating colder conditions in the north of the country. The southern part of the country is stretched by the peninsula and does not fall under the influence of the mountains.

Seasons

Climate spring comes here from April. Until then, the thermometer does not rise above ten degrees. Unlike in summer, spring weather is very changeable, winds often blow, and cloudy days are easily replaced by sunny weather. In the north, from May to June, the white nights begin. In the south in May, the holiday season opens, and the thermometer shows 16-18 degrees.

In the central and southern regions, the summer in Sweden is warm and sunny. A light day can last up to 18 hours. At the northernmost point - Kiruna - the day lasts 24 hours. The average temperature in July is 21-23 degrees, in the north it ranges from 15 degrees in the daytime to 5 at night. The greatest amount of precipitation for the whole year falls in August.

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the rainy season continues in autumn. It is supplemented by fogs, winds and cloudy days. In September, the temperature keeps at around 14-16 degrees, and in November it reaches 5 degrees.

Winters in the south are dry and sunny. In Malmö (the warmest region), the temperature seldom drops below zero, and over the last hundred years it has not fallen below -28 degrees. In the north, from December to January, the polar night lasts. The temperature ranges from -15 to -23. Snow falls every year, in different areas of the country it lies from 50 to 190 days.

Nature

In Sweden, stony and sandy soils prevail. From the center to the north the country is covered with taiga. Here grow coniferous trees: spruce, pine, larch, fir. In Lapland, in the north, begins tundra with permafrost soil, lichens, mosses and low bushes. To the south appear mixed deciduous-coniferous plants, such as beeches, oaks.

In the forests of Sweden live lynx, reindeer, hares, wolverines, bears, roe deer, foxes, mink, muskrat and more than 340 species of birds. There are many reservoirs in the country. Lakes occupy about 10% of the territory. The rivers are rapids and fleeting, rich in trout, perch, salmon, grayling and other fish.