Historical division of the provinces of Sweden into three groups
The
lands of Sweden
(
Swedish
:
Sveriges landsdelar
) are three traditional and
historical regions
of the country, each consisting of several
provinces
. The division into lands goes back to the foundation of modern Sweden, when
Gotaland
, the land of the
Geats
, merged with
Svealand
, the land of the
Swedes
, to form the country, while
Norrland
and
Osterland
(the latter now
Finland
) were added later. The lands have no administrative function but are still seen by many Swedes as an important part of their identity.
Subdivision
[
edit
]
- Gotaland
(
Gothenland
or
Gothia
, "Land of the
Geats
") is the southernmost, most densely populated part, consisting of ten provinces.
- Svealand
(
Swealand
, "Land of the
Swedes
") is the central, and smallest of the three lands, with six provinces; the administrative centre of Sweden has been situated here at least since the late Middle Ages.
- Norrland
(literally "Northland") is the northernmost, and largest, of the three lands, covering 60 percent of the total land area of Sweden, with nine provinces. The three northernmost provinces are often referred to as
Ovre (Upper) Norrland
, while the rest of the provinces are referred to as
Nedre (Lower) Norrland
.
The lands have no administrative functions
[a]
or coats of arms, but are in common use when referring to different parts of the country, including in all nationwide weather reports in Swedish media.
Areas and populations of the
lands
:
Land
|
GDP
(billion
SEK
|
Population
(2021)
[1]
|
Area
(km
2
)
|
Den.
|
Num. of
prov.
|
Provinces
|
Gotaland
|
1,812.447
|
4,995,764
|
97,841
|
51
|
10
|
Scania
,
Blekinge
,
Halland
,
Smaland
,
Oland
,
Gotland
,
Ostergotland
,
Vastergotland
,
Dalsland
and
Bohuslan
|
Svealand
|
1,960.351
|
4,268,504
|
91,098
|
47
|
6
|
Sodermanland
,
Uppland
,
Vastmanland
,
Narke
,
Varmland
and
Dalarna
|
Norrland
|
427.062
|
1,188,031
|
261,292
|
4.5
|
9
|
Gastrikland
,
Halsingland
,
Harjedalen
,
Jamtland
,
Medelpad
,
Angermanland
,
Vasterbotten
,
Norrbotten
and
Lappland
|
Historical lands
[
edit
]
Sweden
was historically divided into the four lands:
Gotaland
(with exception of
Scania
,
Blekinge
,
Halland
and
Bohuslan
until the 17th century),
Svealand
,
Norrland
and
Osterland
. Large parts of Norrland were only inhabited by the
Sami people
and the border towards Norway was unclear in the far north.
- Osterland (literally
Eastland
) is an old name for southern
Finland
. The term has been obsolete since the 15th century and is virtually unknown in Sweden today. In most dictionaries, "osterlandet" simply means
the orient
.
- Norrland was the name for the annexed lands to the north on both sides of the
Gulf of Bothnia
.
- In
Sweden's prehistoric times
, Sweden was largely limited to
Svealand
and southern
Norrland
, while
Gotaland
was mentioned as a rival kingdom, and stories of
Swedish-Geatish wars
survive in the Anglo-Saxon epic
Beowulf
. Eventually, the two countries were united under one crown, though it is a matter of debate when, as historians have claimed that it happened as early as the 6th century AD and as late as the 13th century AD.
In the
Second Treaty of Bromsebro (1645)
Denmark-Norway
ceded the Norwegian provinces of Jamtland and Harjedalen to Sweden. These provinces are part of Norrland. In the
Treaty of Roskilde
(1658), Denmark-Norway ceded Scania, Blekinge and Halland (
Skaneland
) and Bohuslan to Sweden. These provinces are since then part of Gotaland.
After the
Finnish War
(1808?1809), the eastern part of Sweden was ceded to
Russia
, thus becoming the
Imperial Russian
Grand Duchy of Finland
, with
Norrland
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.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Although the
Courts of appeal in Sweden
are named in part after Lands, their jurisdictions overlap, but do not match that of the Lands.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Lands of Sweden
at Wikimedia Commons