Lands of Sweden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sweden is divided into the three lands: Götaland, Svealand, Norrland. Götaland makes up the southern parts of Sweden and Svealand is adjacently to its north. Norrland (literally "Northern lands") is the name for the lands the north. The lands have no administrative function, but are well known among the public. The lands are further divided into provinces, which also have only cultural meaning today.

Image:Map Norrland Sweden.png Norrland	Image:Map Svealand Sweden.png Svealand	Image:Map Götaland Sweden.png Götaland

[edit] Historical lands

Sweden was historically divided into the four lands: Götaland, Svealand, Norrland and Österland.

Österland (literally Eastern lands) is the old name for Swedish Finland. It today represents the southern and middle parts of Finland. It may in prehistoric times have been inhabited by various tribes with their own kings (such as the Kvens).
Norrland (literally Northern lands) is the name for annexed lands to the north on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia.
Götaland and Svealand were in Sweden's prehistoric times mentioned in legends as rival kingdoms, before being united under one crown by the Swedish kings somewhere between 800-1200 (the date is the matter of debate).

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Götaland and Svealand sporadically supported rival kings against each other, thus sometimes continuing these separated ancient kingdoms. Eventually the kingdoms were united as Sweden under one dominion (but the strife manytimes arose again in the beginning of next reign).

By the time of the Treaty of Stolbovo, 1617, the significance of these particular lands of Sweden was historical and geographical diffuse. Thus the concept of Norrland could easily cover also the new territories in the North, colored green on the map. Since the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658 Denmark's Scanian lands is usually considered Swedish Southern Götaland by the Swedes, although some historians consider this historically incorrect.

After the Finnish War (1808-1809) the eastern half 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.