15. Sweden
Years of independence: 490
When thinking about the history of Sweden, one of the first things that come to our mind is Michael Hirst and “Vikings”, right? Yes, they shaped the Swedish history between 8th and 11th centuries. During this period, it is believed that Swedes expanded from eastern Sweden to the west, east and south, reaching even North Africa and the Middle East as traders and mercenaries. Their native language is Swedish, which is spoken in some parts of Finland as well. Sweden’s population exceeded 10 million inhabitants.
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