Sweden, despite its northern location, has a mostly temperate climate, mainly because of the Gulf Stream. In southern Sweden, diciduous trees are in the majority. In the northern areas, spruce and birch dominate the landscape. In Sweden's mountainous north, the country has a subarctic climate, and in the northernmost part of the country, north of the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets in summer, and the night lasts all day, in winter.
East of Sweden, lies the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, thus providing a long coastline. To the west is the Scandinavian mountain range, a range that separates Sweden from Norway. The southern part of the country is cultivated, with more and more forest, the more north you get. The population follows the same pattern, with a high population density in the south, especially around the valley of lake Mälaren, and the Öresund region, as well as the Gothenburg area. Further north, the population density is lower.
