Sweden is the third largest country in Western Europe. Because of its long, narrow shape and northerly location, the landscape is highly diversified. The ever-varying Swedish coastline stretches for thousands of kilometers, from Haparanda on the Finnish border high up in the Gulf of Bothnia, all the way to Norway and the North Sea to the west. The Swedish landscape features countless lakes and waterways, surrounded by vast pine and spruce forests in the north, mixed with romantic oak, birch and other leafy forests further south. Sweden has majestic mountains and glaciers, as well as wide-open countryside, interspersed by small idyllic villages and vibrant cities such as the capital, Stockholm.