Dalarna County is a county

Counties of Sweden

The Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...

 or län

Län

Län and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....

in middle Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It borders the counties of Jämtland

Jämtland County

Jämtland County is a county or län in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two tiny uninhabited strips of Lapland and Dalarna. Jämtland County constitutes 12 percent of Sweden's total area, and is...

, Gävleborg

Gävleborg County

Gävleborg County is a county or län on the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. It borders to the counties of Uppsala, Västmanland, Dalarna, Jämtland and Västernorrland. The capital is Gävle.- Administration :...

, Västmanland

Västmanland County

Västmanland County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders to the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala...

, Örebro

Örebro County

Örebro County is a county or län in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland.- Province :...

 and Värmland

Värmland County

Värmland County is a county or län in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Østfold, Akershus and Hedmark to the west.- Province :...

. It is also bordered by the Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 counties of Hedmark

Hedmark

is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...

 and Sør-Trøndelag

Sør-Trøndelag

- References :...

 in the west. The capital is Falun

Falun

Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...

.

The term Dalarna County is mainly used for administrative purposes, being further subdivided into municipalities (kommuner). Dalarna County virtually encompasses the historical province Dalarna

Dalarna

', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....

 (literally, "the valleys"), that deals with history and culture of the area.

History

In older times, Dalarna was periodically part of the territory ruled by the governor of Västerås Castle

Västerås Castle

Västerås Castle is situated in Västerås, the province of Västmanland, Sweden....

. The 1634 Instrument of Government

Instrument of Government (1634)

The Instrument of Government of 1634 was Sweden's first. It regulated some of the administration, judiciary and the military. It was never accepted by the monarch but was nonetheless in use until Charles XI became an absolute monarch.-See also:...

 led to the creation of a county covering Dalarna with its own County Governor. The Kopparbergs län (literally Copper Mountain County) was finally created by royal decree in 1647. In 1997, the name of the county was changed to Dalarna County.

Administration

The main aim of the County Administrative Board

County Administrative Boards of Sweden

A County Administrative Board is a Government appointed board of a County in Sweden. It is led by a Governor or Landshövding appointed for a term of six years and the list of succession, in most cases, stretches back to 1634 when the counties were created...

 is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Parliament

Parliament of Sweden

The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...

 and the Government

Government of Sweden

The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...

, to coordinate the interests and promote the development of the county, to establish regional goals and safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government Agency

Government agencies in Sweden

The Government agencies in Sweden are state controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the Swedish Government. The Government Ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to control agencies by policy decisions but not by direct...

 headed by a Governor. See List of Dalarna Governors.

Politics

The County Council

County Councils of Sweden

A county council, or landsting, is an elected assembly of a county in Sweden. A county council is a political entity, elected by the county electorate and typically its main responsibilities lie within the public health care system. In each county there is also a county administrative board which...

 of Dalarna or Landstinget Dalarna primarily handles health care and public transportation.

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Dalarna

• Avesta
  Avesta Municipality
  Avesta Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden. It is in Dalarna County, in central part of the country, and its seat is in the town Avesta....
  
  
• Borlänge
  Borlänge Municipality
  Borlänge Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden, with an area of 586.4 km². The municipality has a population of 47,640...
  
  
• Falun
  Falun Municipality
  Falun Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Falun.The present municipality was formed at the time of the local government reform of 1971, when the City of Falun and six surrounding rural municipalities were amalgamated.- Localities...
  
  
• Gagnef
  Gagnef Municipality
  Gagnef Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Djurås with 2,257 inhabitants, with the largest town being Mockfjärd with 2365 inhabitants....
  
  
• Hedemora
  Hedemora Municipality
  Hedemora Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is in the city of Hedemora.In 1966 the City of Hedemora was amalgamated with the rural municipality by the same name and with Husby....
  
  
• Leksand
  Leksand Municipality
  Leksand Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Leksand....
  
  
• Ludvika
  Ludvika Municipality
  Ludvika Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County, central Sweden. It has its seat in the town of Ludvika.In 1971 the City of Ludvika was amalgamated with the adjacent municipalities of Grangärde and Säfsnäs, forming the present entity.- Localities :Figures as of 2004.#Ludvika ...
  
  
• Malung-Sälen
• Mora
• Orsa
  Orsa Municipality
  Orsa Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Orsa.Orsa is one of a few municipalities in Sweden which has not been amalgamated, but retains its area from the time it was instituted as a municipal entity in 1863.- Geography :The town of...
  
  
• Rättvik
  Rättvik Municipality
  Rättvik Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Rättvik.In 1963 the municipality was reunited with Boda, which had been detached from it in 1875, and in 1974 Ore was added, thus forming the present municipality.- Geography :Rättvik...
  
  
• Smedjebacken
  Smedjebacken Municipality
  Smedjebacken Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Smedjebacken....
  
  
• Säter
  Säter Municipality
  Säter is one of the 290 municipalities of Sweden in Dalarna County, central Sweden. Its seat is in Säter.The present municipality was created in 1971 with the amalgamation of the former City of Säter and two neighbouring municipalities.- Geography :...
  
  
• Vansbro
  Vansbro Municipality
  Vansbro Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Vansbro.During the local government reform of 1971 Järna, Nås and Äppelbo were amalgamated to form the new Vansbro Municipality. The name was taken from the locality Vansbro, which also...
  
  
• Älvdalen
  Älvdalen Municipality
  Älvdalen Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Älvdalen....
  
  

Heraldry

The Dalarna County inherited its coat of arms from the province of Dalarna. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.

External links

• County Administrative Board of Dalarna
• County Council of Dalarna
• Regional Association of Dalarna