Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/522

 502 SWEDEN and the gulf of Bothnia, and N. E. by Finland. It is separated from Norway by the main chain of the Scandinavian system of mountains, along which a broad avenue cut in the forest, and having at certain intervals stone monu- ments, marks the line of division. This avenue is maintained with great care by the Norwe- gians, and its condition regularly reported to their storthing or legislature. The extreme length of Sweden is 970 m., and its general breadth about 200 m. The coast line, about 1,400 m. in extent, is deeply indented by nu- merous fiords or gulfs. About 300 m. of the coast borders on the Skager Rack, Cattegat, and Sound ; the remainder is washed by the Baltic and the gulf of Bothnia. The W. shore along the Skager Rack and Cattegat, is rocky, but sel- dom elevated more than 30 or 40 ft. The S. shore as far as Solvesborg in Blekinge is low and sandy ; thence northward it is, with some exceptions, lined by precipitous cliffs about 50 ft. high as far as Calmar sound. Along the Sound the coast is again low and sandy, but N. of it rises into higher cliffs, and at the outlet of Lake Mselar presents bold headlands 100 ft. high. N. of the mouth of the Dal and as far as the strait of Quarken rocky and sandy shores alternate; and the upper part of the gulf of Bothnia is characterized by low sandy beaches. The entire coast N. of Calmar is lined with numerous rocky and sandy islets, which render access difficult in many places. Off of the Ian of Calmar, and separated from it by Calmar sound, is the island of Oland ; and N. E. of this lies Gottland, the largest island of Sweden. Tha Aland group, off the Ian of Stockholm, belongs to Russia. The mountain chain which forms the spine of the Scandinavian peninsula has a much larger portion of its most eleva- ted surface in Norway than in Sweden. Its southern part, the Langfield chain, is wholly in Norway, while the Dovrefield and Kiolen chains form the boundary between the two countries, Sulitelma in lat. 67 and Sylf jell in lat. 63, lie partly in each. The Norwegian side of these mountains is much more precipi- tous than the Swedish. In Sweden they form a plateau nearly 4,000 ft. high, from which occasional peaks rise to a greater height, but which in a breadth of 40 m. slopes gradually to an elevation of from 800 to 1,000 ft., and thence declines in hills of moderate elevation to the sea shore. S. of lat. 59 the country is very level, and the great plain of Scania, the most fertile tract of the peninsula, occupies a considerable portion of the southern ex- tremity. The northern part of Sweden is rocky, with bleak, barren, snow-clad hills, and a stunted vegetation of birch, fir, and small pines, in the higher lands intermingled with dreary lakes and swamps. The great forest region lies S. of lat. 64, where the surface is less elevated. Further S. it is more level, and the woods give place to cultivated fields. Sweden abounds in beautiful lakes, which cover more than 14,000 sq. m. of its surface. Lake Wener has an area of about 2,000 sq. m., and, excepting Ladoga and Onega in Russia,, is the largest lake in Europe. Its principal affluent is the Klar, which enters it from the north, and its waters are carried into the Cattegat by the Gotha. At the Trolhatta falls on the latter, the river descends by rapids 108 ft. in 5 m. Lake Wetter is 80 m. long and has an area of 715 sq. m. Its surface is about 300 ft. above the sea, and in one part it is more than 400 ft. deep. It has many small affluents. The river Motala carries its waters through several smaller lakes into the Baltic. The Mselar lake, about 75 m. long, is a series of lakes connected by channels and having many branches. It contains more than 1,200 islands, most of which are of great beauty. Other principal lakes are Hjelmar, connected with the Maslar, Siljan, Stor, Stor Uman, Horn Afvan, Stora Lulea, and Tornea, almost all in the north. None of the rivers of Sweden are navigable, excepting those which have been rendered so artificially. With the exception of the Klar and a few smaller streams on the W. coast and on the coast of the Baltic, near- ly all of them have their source in the main mountain range and flow S. E. into the gulf of Bothnia. The largest is the Dal, which is formed by the junction near Fahlun of the East Dal and the West Dal, and enters the gulf of Bothnia near Gefle. At Elfkarleby, near its mouth, it forms a splendid cascade, which is surrounded by fine scenery. N. of this the principal rivers are the Ljusne, In- dals, Angerman, Umea and its branch the Win- del, Skelleftea, Pitea, Lulea, Ranea, Kalix, and Tornea. The last, with its branch the Muonio, forms the boundary line between Sweden and Russia. Most of these rivers have cataracts and rapids. The Angerman is 240 m. long, and is navigable for vessels of 600 tons 60 m. from its mouth. The geological formations of Sweden are chiefly granites, gneiss, and meta- morphic rocks. They compose most of the Scandinavian chain of mountains, and are in many places covered with Silurian strata, which sometimes are seen undisturbed from their original horizontal position. These are bro- ken through and overflowed by trap ; and the surface is generally covered with the drift formation and large bowlders. The metamor- phic group abounds in metallic veins, which constitute a large portion of the wealth of the country. Among the metals produced are iron, copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, nickel, co- balt, and manganese. The pyritiferous slates are largely worked for alum and copperas, and these, as well as the sulphurous gangues of the various ores, furnish unlimited sup- plies of sulphur. In 1872 there were produced 4,881 cwt. of alum, 1,914 cwt. of iron vitriol, 2,936 cwt. of copper vitriol, and 7,G67 cwt. of sulphur. The most important iron mines are those at Dannemora and Osterby in the Ian of Upsal, Presberg in Wermland, Taberg in Jon- koping, and in the liins of Orebro, Gefleborg,