The extreme distance from north to south in Sweden is about 1,575 km (980 mi), and from east to west about 500 km (310 mi). The coastline totals about 7,565 km (4,700 mi) in length. Sweden may be divided into six topographical regions. In the north-western section are extensions of the Kjölen Mountains, which form part of the boundary with Norway. The highest point in the range, and the highest point in Sweden, is atop Mount Kebnekaise 2,111 m (6,926 ft). To the east of the mountains is a long plateau, which slopes east to a coastal plain bordering the Gulf of Bothnia. An upland region, known as the Småland highlands, is located south of the lowland. The plains of Skåne occupy the south-eastern tip of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The lowest elevation point is sea level along the coast.

Sweden is part of the Fennoscandian Shield, which extends over part of northern Europe. The rocks, except those in the north-west, are primarily ancient Precambrian granites, schists, and gneisses. Younger metamorphic rocks are characteristic of the northern part of the country. Sedimentary rocks are found in the southern Skåne plains and in the islands of Gotland and Öland.

The present topography of Sweden was formed largely during the Quaternary Ice Ages by a continental ice sheet, which receded about 8,000 years ago. The mountains, except for several of the highest peaks, were rounded by glaciation. The ice sheet scraped out deep valleys and created numerous glacial lakes. Ridges of rock, gravel, sand, and clay were deposited in many places by the retreating ice. Glacial seas left fertile marine clay soils in the south and in the central lake area. Some permanent glacier fields still remain in the high mountain regions.

Sweden’s population is principally composed of Scandinavians of Germanic descent. About 17,000 Saami live mainly in Swedish Saamiland, in the northern part of the country. The immigrant population, which includes Finns, Yugoslavs, Iranians, Norwegians, Danes, Turks, Somalis, Americans, Chileans, and others, increased in the 1990s; in 1995 there were 438,710 foreign nationals in Sweden. Many moved to Sweden as guest workers, others as refugees. Their numbers have been swollen by refugees escaping the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Sweden ranks second only to Germany as a destination for refugees from that region.