Swedish colonization of the Americas
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The Swedish colonization of the Americas consisted of a small 17th century settlement on the Delaware River in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and two possessions in the Caribbean during the 18th and 19th century.
Until 1809 Finland was the eastern third of Sweden, and therefore a great deal of the Swedish settlers had Finnish as their mother tongue and/or came from present-day Finland. Finns left to America especially from outlying regions of Savo and Kainuu, where slash and burn agriculture was a way of life for many, and people were used to life as pioneers in wilderness. People from Savo also brought their log house type to America, where it became typical log cabin of pioneers.
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[edit] North America
- New Sweden (1638-1655) Colony centered in Delaware but with other settlements such as New Stockholm and Swedesboro in New Jersey. They were later conquered by the Dutch, who perceived the presence of Swedish colonists in North America as a threat to their interests in the New Netherlands colony.
[edit] Caribbean
- Tobago (1659-1660) Seized from the Duchy of Courland with Dutch aid and returned in the Treaty of Oliva.
- Saint-Barthélemy (1785-1878) Operated as a porto franco (free port). Capital city of Gustavia retains its Swedish name.
- Guadeloupe (1813-1814) Came into Swedish possession as a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars. It gave rise to the Guadeloupe Fund.
[edit] South America
- In the late 19th century Misiones Province in Argentina was a major centre for Swedish emigration, and lay the foundations of a population of Swedish-Argentines.
[edit] See also
- Swedish colonial empire
- Possessions of Sweden
- Colonial governors in 1816
- Swedish emigration to North America
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