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DESCRIPTION:
SWEDEN verigel, a kingdom of northern Europe, occupying the eastern
and larger part of the Scandinavian peninsula. It is bounded N.E. by
Finland (Russian Empire), E. by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea,
S.W. by the Cattegat and Skagerrack, and W. by Norway. It extends from
69 3 21 to 55 20 18 N., and from 11 6 19 E. on the south-west coast
to 24 9 II E. on the Finnish frontier, the extreme length being about
990 m., the extreme breadth (mainland) about 250 m., and the total area
estimated at 173,547 sq. m. Out of a detailed total estimate of the
boundary line at 6100 m., 4737 m. are coastal, the Norwegian frontier
is 1030 m., and the Finnish 333 m.
Physical Features.The backbone of the Scandinavian peninsula is a range,
or series of masses, of mountains (in Swedish Kolen, the keel) extending
through nearly the whole length of the peninsula towards the western
side. The eastern or Swedish, flank has, therefore, the slighter slope.
This range forms, in a measure, a natural boundary between Sweden and
Norway from the extreme north to the north of Svealantj, the central
of the three main territorial divisions of Sweden (Norrland, Svealand
and Gotaland); though this boundary is not so well marked that the political
frontier may follow it throughout. Sweden itself may be considered in
four main physical divisions the mountains and highland district, covering
all Norrland and the western part of Svealand; the lowlands of central
Sweden; the so-called Smaaland highlands, in the south and southeast;
and the plains of Skne, occupying the extreme southward projection of
the peninsula.
NORWAY (Norge), a kingdom of northern Europe, occupying the W. and
smaller part of the Scandinavian peninsula. Its E. frontier marches
with that of Sweden, except in the extreme N., where Norway is bounded
by Russian territory. On the N., W., S. and S.E. the boundary is the
seathe Arctic Ocean, that part of the Atlantic which is called the Norwegian
Sea, the North Sea and the Skagerrack successively. The S. extremity
of the country is the island of Slettiogen in 57 58 N., and the N. that
of Knivskj~rodden, off the North Cape in 71 II N. Of the mainland, the
southernmost promontory is Lindesnias, in 57 59 N., while the northernmost
is Nordkyn, in 71 7 N. The S. of the country, that is to say, the projection
between the Skagerrack and the North Sea proper, lies in the same latitude
as the N. of Scotland and Labrador, and the midland of Kamchatka. The
most western island, Utv~r, lies off the mouth of the Sogne Fjord (4
30 E.), and the eastermost point of the country is within the Arctic
lands, near VardO (31 II E). The direct length of Norway (S.W. to N.E.)
is about 1100 m. The extreme breadth in the S. (about 61 N.) is 270
m., but in the N. it is much lessabout 60 m. on the average, though
the Swedish frontier approaches within 6 m. of a head-branch of Ofoten
Fjord, and the Russian within 19 m. of Lyngen Fjord. The length of the
coast line is difficult to estimate; measured as an unbroken line it
is nearly 1700 m., but including the fjords and greater islands it is
set down as 12,000. The area is estimated at 124,495 sq. m
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