Northern Eastern Europe Kingdom of Sweden Sweden STOCKHOLM Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Oresund Strait. Sweden is part of the geographical area of Fennoscandia. The climate is in general mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Kingdom of Sweden july 2009 Stockholm is known for its beauty, its buildings and architecture, its abundant clean and open water, and its many parks. It is sometimes referred to as Venice of the North. Stockholm is located on Sweden's south-central east coast, where Lake Malaren meets the Baltic Sea. Stockholm's core of the present Old Town (Gamla Stan) was built on the central island next to Helgeandsholmen from the mid-13th century onward. The central parts of the city consist of fourteen islands that are continuous with Stockholm archipelago. The geographical city centre is situated on the water, in the bay Riddarfjärden. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces; in 2009, Stockholm was awarded title of first European Green Capital. The city's oldest section is "Gamla Stan" (Old Town), located on the original small islands of the city's earliest settlements and still featuring the medieval street layout. The Stockholm Palace (Swedish: Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. It is located on Stadsholmen in Gamla Stan. In the 1930s modernism characterized the development of the city as it grew, the most central areas of the inner city were being redesigned. PIC: Me, Stockholm, july 2009. The modern centrum Norrmalm, (concentrated around the town square Sergels torg), is the largest shopping district in Sweden. Stockholm has a vibrant art scene with a number of internationally recognized art centres and commercial galleries. Stockholm Home-ARTworks, july 2009. Kingdom of Sweden june 2014 The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. Ranked as an alpha-global city, it is the largest in Scandinavia and the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities. Stockholm june 2014. Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Frescati, Stockholm Sweden's east coast, Baltic Sea. june 2014. Frescati (I love it) Stockholm june 2014. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being across the Baltic in Finland). Part of the archipelago has been designated as a Ramsar site since 1989.