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The lands of Sweden are three unofficial parts, essentially three collectives of provinces, in Sweden. These "lands" have no administrative function. There is not even a designation, which is commonly agreed upon, for this subdivision level. Most commonly they are called "landsdelar", which just means "parts of the country".
Subdivision Götaland is the southern, most densely populated part, consisting of ten provinces
Svealand is the central part, named after the historic Sweden proper, which is the smallest of the three parts with six provinces
Norrland (literally "Northland") is the northern part, which is the largest of the three parts, covering 60 percent of the total Swedish territory with nine provinces.
They are used in weather reports, and therefore their boundaries can be seen on television and on the weather maps in the press. But they have no administrative function and no coats of arms.
Areas and populations of the lands:
| Land | Population
(2005) | Area
(km²) | Number of provinces | Provinces |
|---|
| Götaland | Scania, Blekinge, Halland, Småland, Öland, Gotland, Östergötland, Västergötland, Dalsland och Bohuslän | || align="right"|97 841 || align="center"|10 || Scania, Blekinge, Halland, Småland, Öland, Gotland, Östergötland, Västergötland, Dalsland och Bohuslän | Svealand | Södermanland, Uppland, Västmanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna | || align="right"|91 098 || align="center"|6 || Södermanland, Uppland, Västmanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna | Norrland | Gästrikland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Medelpad, Ångermanland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten och Lappland | || align="right"|261 292 || align="center"|9 || Gästrikland, Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Medelpad, Ångermanland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten och Lappland
Historical lands
Sweden was historically divided into the four lands: Götaland, Svealand, Norrland and Österland.
Österland (literally Eastland) is an old name for southern Finland. It may in prehistoric times have been inhabited by various tribes with their own kings (such as the Kvens). The term has been obsolete since the 15th century and is virtually unknown in Sweden today. In most dictionaries "österlandet" simply means the orient.
Norrland (literally Northland) was the name for annexed lands to the north on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia.
In Sweden's prehistoric times Sweden was largely restricted to Svealand and southern Norrland, while Götaland is mentioned in legends as a rival kingdom, and traditions of Swedish-Geatish wars survive in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf. Eventually the two countries were united under one crown by the Swedish kings somewhere between 550-1200 (the date is the matter of debate).
After the Finnish War (1808-1809) the eastern part of Sweden was ceded to Russia, thus becoming the Imperial Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. Norrland was divided between these two states. The Swedish portion of Norrland still represents more than half of Sweden's territory; it remains, however, sparsely populated compared to the south and middle. The town of Stockholm, which became the Swedish capital mostly because it was centrally located in Sweden of its medieval boundaries (i.e. the brightest area on the map) now became situated at the eastern border.
See alsoSubdivisions of Norden
Old Finland
Lands of Denmark
Dominions of Sweden
Provinces of Sweden
Historical provinces of Finland
External links
[http://www.domstol.se/templates/DV_InfoPage____2319.aspx Courts of Appeal: The Court Districts of Sweden] - Official site of The National Courts Administration
Sweden
Sweden
bg:Исторически земи на Швеция
ca:Regions històriques de Suècia
da:Landsdel
de:Landesteil (Schweden)
es:Regiones históricas de Suecia
it:Regioni della Svezia
hu:Svédország történelmi országrészei
nl:Landsdelen van Zweden
no:Sveriges landsdeler
nn:Sveriges landsdelar
pl:Historyczne kraje Szwecji
fi:Ruotsin historialliset pääalueet
sv:Sveriges landsdelar
zh:瑞典地區
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