Västra Götaland County
Encyclopedia
Västra Götaland County is a county
or län
on the western coast of Sweden
.
The county is the second largest (in terms of population) of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities
(kommuner). Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population. The capital and governmental seat of Västra Götaland County is Gothenburg
.
The county was established as recently as 1998, when Älvsborg County
, Gothenburg and Bohus County
and Skaraborg County
were merged.
. The counties are the main administrative units for politics, population counts.
Due to its size and young age, the Västra Götaland County has no common inheritance. Of cultural and historical significance are the provinces that Västra Götaland County consists of: Västergötland
, Bohuslän
and Dalsland
. There is also an insignificant part of the province Halland
within the county.
In addition, the previous counties that were abolished in 1999 had been in use since the 17th century, and therefore have some cultural and historical significance.
, Örebro
, Östergötland
, Jönköping
and Halland
. It is also bounded by the Norwegian
county of Østfold
, lakes Vättern
and Vänern
, as well as the strait of Skagerrak
.
, Älvsborg County
and Skaraborg County
. The seat of residence for the Governors or Landshövding is Gothenburg
, while the seat of political administration and power is Vänersborg
. The Governor is the head of the County Administrative Board
or Länsstyrelse.
or Västra Götalandsregionen is an evolved County Council
that for a trial period has assumed certain tasks from the County Administrative Board. Similar trial councils are applied for Skåne County
and Gotland County
.
, Bohuslän
and Dalsland
with the arms for the city of Gothenburg
. When the arms is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board, which is the regional presence of (royal) government authority. Blazon: "Quartered, I. the arms of Gothenburg, II. the arms of Bohuslän, III. the arms of Dalsland turned in courtoisie, IV. the arms of Västergötland."
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....
on the western coast of 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....
.
The county is the second largest (in terms of population) of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
(kommuner). Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population. The capital and governmental seat of Västra Götaland County is Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
The county was established as recently as 1998, when Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County, or Älvsborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Skaraborg to form the county of Västra Götaland...
, Gothenburg and Bohus County
Gothenburg and Bohus County
The County of Gothenburg and Bohus, or Göteborgs och Bohus län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Skaraborg and Älvsborg to form the county of Västra Götaland....
and Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County, or Skaraborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Älvsborg to form Västra Götaland County....
were merged.
Provinces
Sweden's counties are generally of greater importance than its provincesProvinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
. The counties are the main administrative units for politics, population counts.
Due to its size and young age, the Västra Götaland County has no common inheritance. Of cultural and historical significance are the provinces that Västra Götaland County consists of: Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, Bohuslän
Bohuslän
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold in Norway to the north...
and Dalsland
Dalsland
Dalsland is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and Norway to the northwest....
. There is also an insignificant part of the province Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
within the county.
In addition, the previous counties that were abolished in 1999 had been in use since the 17th century, and therefore have some cultural and historical significance.
Neighbours
Västra Götaland County borders to the counties of VärmlandVärmland 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 :...
, 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 :...
, Östergötland
Östergötland County
Östergötland County is a county or län in southeastern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Västra Götaland to the west, Örebro to the northwest, Södermanland to the northeast, and the Baltic Sea to the east.Östergötland County has a population of...
, Jönköping
Jönköping County
Jönköping County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The capital is Jönköping.- Provinces :...
and Halland
Halland County
Halland County is a county on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad....
. It is also bounded 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...
county of Østfold
Østfold
is a county in southeastern Norway, bordering Akershus and southwestern Sweden , while Buskerud and Vestfold is on the other side of the bay. The seat of the county administration is Sarpsborg, and Fredrikstad is the largest city.Many manufacturing facilities are situated here. Moss and...
, lakes Vättern
Vättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
and Vänern
Vänern
Vänern is the largest lake in Sweden, the largest lake in the EU and the third largest lake in Europe after Ladoga and Onega in Russia. It is located in the provinces of Västergötland, Dalsland, and Värmland in the southwest of the country.- History :...
, as well as the strait of Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
.
Administration
Västra Götaland was created in 1998 by a merger of the three former counties of Gothenburg and Bohus CountyGothenburg and Bohus County
The County of Gothenburg and Bohus, or Göteborgs och Bohus län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Skaraborg and Älvsborg to form the county of Västra Götaland....
, Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County
Älvsborg County, or Älvsborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Skaraborg to form the county of Västra Götaland...
and Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County
Skaraborg County, or Skaraborgs län, was a county of Sweden until December 31, 1998 when it was merged with the counties of Gothenburg and Bohus and Älvsborg to form Västra Götaland County....
. The seat of residence for the Governors or Landshövding is Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, while the seat of political administration and power is Vänersborg
Vänersborg
Vänersborg is a locality and the seat of Vänersborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 21,672 inhabitants in 2005. Until 1997 it was the capital of Älvsborg County, which was dissolved in 1998. Since 1999 Vänersborg is the seat of the regional parliament of Västra Götaland County...
. The Governor is the head 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...
or Länsstyrelse.
Politics
The Västra Götaland Regional CouncilVästra Götaland Regional Council
The Västra Götaland Regional Council, or Västra Götalandsregionen, is the devolved County Council of Västra Götaland County in Sweden. It was created in 1999 by the merger of the county councils of Gothenburg and Bohus, Älvsborg, and Skaraborg Counties coupled with the devolution of power from the...
or Västra Götalandsregionen is an evolved 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...
that for a trial period has assumed certain tasks from the County Administrative Board. Similar trial councils are applied for Skåne County
Skåne County
Skåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
and Gotland County
Gotland County
Gotland County is a county or län of Sweden. Gotland is located in the Baltic Sea to the east of Öland, and is the largest of Sweden's islands. Counties are usually sub-divided into municipalities, but Gotland County only consists of one municipality: Gotland Municipality. Gotland County at...
.
Municipalities
|
|
Heraldry
The arms for the County of Västra Götaland was granted in 1999 when the county was formed. It a combination of the provincial arms of VästergötlandVästergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, Bohuslän
Bohuslän
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold in Norway to the north...
and Dalsland
Dalsland
Dalsland is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and Norway to the northwest....
with the arms for the city of Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. When the arms is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board, which is the regional presence of (royal) government authority. Blazon: "Quartered, I. the arms of Gothenburg, II. the arms of Bohuslän, III. the arms of Dalsland turned in courtoisie, IV. the arms of Västergötland."
External links
- List of Västra Götaland Governors
- Region Västra Götaland
- Västra Götaland County Administrative Board
- Gothenburg Regional Association of Local Authorities
- Sjuhärad Regional Association of Local Authorities
- Skaraborg Regional Association of Local Authorities
- Fyrbodals Regional Association of Local Authorities