There are quite a few Swedes who have managed to get famous also outside the boundaries of our small country, for something they did, achieved, or just simply because of who they are. The later applies to our royal family, they are from birth celebrities all over Europe and in the world. As such, they try to use their "fame" for something good. One example is our queen Silvia, who has started The World Childhood Foundation, for helping children all over the world to a better life.

Sweden is also the home of some of the world's most successful athletes. Tennis legend Björn Borg, skier Ingmar Stenmark, hockey players Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin, swimmer Therese Alshammar, and wrestler Mikael Ljungberg, to name a few.

The Nobel Prizes are given out to the best authors and scientists in the world in December every year, in a big ceremony held in Stockholm. Alfred Nobel started the foundation, and is commonly referred to as "the great donor". He is also the man who invented dynamite. Other swedish scintists are Anders Celsius, who gave name to the Celsius thermometer, and Carl von Linne, who named a large part of our flora.

Sweden has also given a few contributes to the world history of film and theatre, in director Ingmar Bergman, and actresses Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman, and to the world music scene, in Roxette and ABBA. The most well known Swedish author is Astrid Lindgren, who have amused children all over the world with her stories about Emil in Lönneberga, Pippi Longstocking and Karlsson on the Roof.