Bergslagen is a historical, cultural, and linguistic region located north of Lake Mälaren in northern Svealand , Sweden , traditionally known as a mining district . In Bergslagen, the mining and metallurgic industries have been important since the Middle Ages although Malmfälten ("the Ore Fields"), the mining district of northernmost Sweden centred at the towns of Kiruna and Malmberget , has been of greater importance during the 20th century.
34-492: Bergslagen is not precisely defined, but generally understood to cover part of the provinces of Västmanland , Dalarna (the southern part), and Värmland (the eastern part). Typical towns in the area include Lindesberg , Nora , Fagersta , Sala , Kristinehamn , Filipstad , Grythyttan , Ludvika and Hedemora . Also parts of northern Östergötland , around Finspång , as well as southern Närke can be included, then often referring to South Bergslagen . A wider definition of
68-492: A Västanstång dragon and one with a Östanstång lion. The current arms for Östergötland (see below) were created in 1884. The current arms for Småland were created for the coronation of John III in 1569. The wild man representing Lappland was created for the funeral of Charles IX in 1612. Arms for Jämtland were created when Norway ceded the province to Sweden in 1635. Arms for Härjedalen were created later. The arms for Blekinge, Bohuslän, Halland and Skåne were created for
102-421: A club as heraldic symbol of Lapland first appeared at the coronation of Charles IX of Sweden in 1607, then at the same king's burial in 1611. The colour red of his skin was decided only in 1949; before then various colours had been used (natural skin colour in the first half of the 20th century). The wildman, though unusual in heraldry, is an old symbol of the uncivilised north and appeared in books and woodcuts of
136-629: A lesser extent, Malmö – identify primarily with their city, rather than their province. English and other languages occasionally use Latin names for the Swedish provinces. The name Scania for Skåne predominates in English. Some English exonyms , such as the Dales for Dalarna, East Gothland for Östergötland, Swedish Lapland for Lappland and West Bothnia for Västerbotten are common in English literature. Swedes writing in English have long used
170-578: A quarter of Sweden's land area is in Lappland. The historical province of Lapland originally extended further eastward. However, in 1809 the Russian Empire annexed the eastern part of Sweden and formed the Grand Duchy of Finland in that territory. This effectively split Lapland into a Swedish part and a Finnish part , both of which still exist today. Swedish Lapland primarily consists of
204-591: A source of wealth for Swedish merchants such as Birgitta Ingvaldsdotter who traded in the early part of the 16th century. The region was an industrial powerhouse from the 17th century, up to the Steel crisis during the 1970s. The area is very rich in minerals. Mining has been focused on iron ore for centuries but other ores have been mined as well. Most mines are now closed, but in the 1970s many mines were still in operation. The earliest signs of iron making date back to 400 BC while industrial-scale activities date back to
238-509: Is Härjedalen , though the borders are not quite the same. Administrative borders are subject to change – for example, several of today’s counties were created in the 1990s – while the provincial borders have remained stable for centuries. All the provinces are also ceremonial duchies , but as such have no administrative or political functions. Nevertheless, the provinces of Sweden are no archaic concept; they are still referenced in everyday speech and seen as culturally distinct. The main exception
272-429: Is Lapland , where people see themselves as citizens of Västerbotten or Norrbotten , based on the counties . Sweden’s two largest cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg , both have provincial borders running through them: Stockholm is split between Uppland and Södermanland , and Gothenburg is split between Västergötland and Bohuslän . According to a 2011 survey, people in major cities – Stockholm, Gothenburg and, to
306-484: Is also larger than the Benelux countries combined, being more than double the size of Switzerland and quite a bit larger than the island of Ireland . The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes but are cultural and historical entities. Administratively, Lappland constitutes the western part of two counties of Sweden , Norrbotten County in the north and Västerbotten County in
340-576: The Middle Ages , Norrbotten/Lapland was considered a no man's land . The area was in fact populated by nomadic Sami people , but the region became increasingly settled by Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian settlers - especially along the coasts and large rivers. From the Middle Ages on, the Swedish kings tried to colonise and Christianise the area using settlers from what is now Finland and southern Sweden. Today, despite large-scale assimilation into
374-420: The counties of Sweden ( län ). Some were conquered later on from Denmark–Norway . Others, like the provinces of Finland , have been lost. In some cases, the county and province borders correspond almost exactly, as with Blekinge and Blekinge County . The island of Gotland is both a province , a county and a municipality ( kommun ). The only other province to share a name with a modern municipality
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#1732766109943408-400: The industrialization of Sweden in the late-19th century, natural resources ( hydroelectricity , timber and minerals) from Lapland and surrounding provinces played a key role. Still, mining, forestry and hydroelectric power are the backbone of the local economy, together with municipal services. The unemployment has however been relatively high for several decades and many young people leave for
442-549: The 16th century. A statue depicting the wildman is placed in Storuman at 65°5′42″N 17°6′56″E / 65.09500°N 17.11556°E / 65.09500; 17.11556 . Lapland has a subarctic climate in its lower areas, whereas a polar variety can be found in Tarfala , where the average high for the warmest month of the year (July) is lower than 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperatures. The southern parts of
476-847: The 17th century. At Långban , where iron and manganese have been mined, 270 mineral species have been reported to date. Many of these minerals are unique to the Långban deposit, and 67 minerals were first found at this site. 59°50′N 15°45′E / 59.833°N 15.750°E / 59.833; 15.750 This Swedish geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Provinces of Sweden The 25 provinces of Sweden ( Swedish : Sveriges landskap ) are historical , geographical and cultural regions. They have no administrative function (except in some sports contexts), but retain their own cultural identities, dialects and folklore. Several were administrative subdivisions until 1634, when they were replaced by
510-633: The Iron Age was the Geats ; the main tribe of Svealand, according to Tacitus ca 100 AD, was the Suiones (or the ”historical Swedes”). ”Norrland” was all the unexplored northern parts, the boundaries and Swedish control over which were weakly defined into the early modern age. Due to the Northern Crusades against Finns , Tavastians and Karelians and colonisation of some coastal areas of
544-596: The King’s long list of titles. Gustav Vasa’s title only had three entries – "King of Sweden , the Goths and the Wends " – so banners were created for each Swedish province for a better display. Some of these arms were short-lived, such as the beaver for Medelpad (changed in the 1570s), the wolverine for Värmland (changed in 1567) and the roses on Småland ’s arms. Östergötland was represented by two different arms, one with
578-445: The Swedish monarch, in some cases for centuries. ( Norway , in personal union with Sweden from 1814 to 1905, never became an integral part of Sweden.) When Sweden ceded Finland to the Russian Empire in 1809, Västerbotten was divided up so that Norrbotten first emerged as a county. Eventually, it came to be recognized as its own province. It was granted a coat of arms as late as in 1995. Some scholars suggest that Sweden revived
612-454: The Swedish names only. The origins of the provincial divisions lay in the petty kingdoms that gradually became more and more subjected to the central monarchy during the consolidation of Sweden . Until the country law of Magnus Eriksson in 1350, each of these lands still had its own laws and its own assembly (the thing ), and in effect governed itself. The first provinces were considered duchies , but newly conquered provinces received
646-573: The area can include parts of Gästrikland ( Hofors ) and Uppland (the former iron manufacturing district centred on Dannemora ) as well. The conflict of interests between iron exports from Bergslagen and territorial conflicts at Denmark 's southern border was a chief reason behind the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 and the following strife that ultimately resulted in the dissolution of the Kalmar Union in 1523. Exports from Bergslagen were
680-488: The concept of provinces in the 19th century. Historically, Sweden was seen as containing four ”lands” (larger regions): In the Viking Age and earlier, Götaland and Svealand were home to a number of petty kingdoms that were more or less independent; Götaland in the Iron Age and Middle Ages did not include Scania and other provinces in the far south, which were then part of Denmark . The leading tribe of Götaland in
714-415: The concept of the provinces. At the funeral of King Gustav Vasa (Gustav I) in 1560, arms for 23 of the provinces were displayed together for the first time, most of them created for that occasion. Erik XIV of Sweden modelled the funeral processions on those of German dukes , who in turn may have styled their displays after Emperor Charles V 's funeral, where a host of banners represented each entry in
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#1732766109943748-633: The country, Finland fell under the Catholic Church and Swedish rule. Österland ("Eastern land"; the name had early gone out of use) in southern and central Finland formed an integral part of Sweden. Russia annexed Finland in 1809, and reunited it with some frontier counties annexed earlier to form the Grand Duchy of Finland . In 1917, Finland became an independent country . The regional borders have changed several times throughout history with changing national borders. Norrland, Svealand and Götaland are only parts of Sweden, and have never superseded
782-493: The dominant Swedish culture, Finnish and Sami minorities continue to maintain their cultures and identities. Despite independent cultural presence, religious beliefs were subject to conversion in the 17th and 18th centuries resulting in Laplanders generally leaving their original shamanism and converting to Lutheranism . Since the 19th century, Lapland has been particularly characterised by Laestadian Lutheranism . During
816-496: The funeral of Charles X Gustav in 1660. The Arms for Norrbotten were created as late as 1995. Götaland ( Gothia , Gothenland ) comrpises ten provinces in the southern part of Sweden. Until 1645, Gotland and Halland were parts of Denmark. Also, until 1658 Blekinge and Scania were parts of Denmark, and Bohuslän was part of Norway . Värmland was counted as part of Götaland until 1812. Svealand ( Swealand ) comprises six provinces in central Sweden. Until 1812, Värmland
850-403: The inland parts of Västerbotten County in the south and Norrbotten County in the north. It has the coldest climates of Sweden, with vast seasonal differences caused by the high latitudes and the inland location. The history of Lapland is in many ways connected to the history of Norrbotten County and Västerbotten County , since Lapland is a historic region connected to these counties. During
884-755: The larger cities by the coast or in southern Sweden. Located in Sweden, Lapland is known for containing the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve , one of the largest nature reserves in Sweden. Other parts of Lapland have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site , the Laponian area , and the province contains some of the oldest and most spectacular national parks of northern Europe, e.g. Sarek National Park , established in 1909. Lapland has an area of 109,702 square km (c. 42,300 sq miles), larger than Austria and almost equal to Portugal . Its land area
918-506: The northern areas of the province experience midnight sun and a moderate polar night with some civil twilight during opposite sides of the year. Football in the province is administered by Norrbottens Fotbollförbund and Västerbottens Fotbollförbund . An EU-subsidised government tourism marketing organisation aiming to promote tourism in Northern Sweden has taken the brand name "Swedish Lapland". This name also covers towns in
952-406: The population of Swedish Lapland is 91,333. Together with the rest of historical Lapland, the sum of the population is approximately 250,000. The largest cities are Kiruna ( Northern Sami : Giron , Finnish : Kiiruna ) with 23,178 inhabitants, Gällivare with 18,123 inhabitants and Lycksele with 12,177 inhabitants. In Norrbotten County : In Västerbotten County : Lapland itself
986-467: The province are significantly milder than the northern, due to the vast geographical differences. However, since Lapland is all made up of inland areas, maritime moderation is less significant than in the counties' coastal areas and in neighbouring Norway , resulting in harsh winters. Southern areas at a lower elevation such as Lycksele also have relatively warm summers. Due to the Arctic Circle ,
1020-423: The same time, and developed its own provincial identity during the 19th century. Lapland (Sweden) Lapland , also known by its Swedish name Lappland ( Northern Sami : Sápmi , Finnish : Lappi , Latin : Lapponia ), is a province in northernmost Sweden . It borders the Swedish provinces of Jämtland , Ångermanland , Västerbotten , and Norrbotten , as well as Norway and Finland . Nearly
1054-954: The south. In contrast to most other areas of Sweden, there is more of an identification with the counties rather than to provinces . Thus, most people in these counties refer to the entire county, including the areas in Lapland, when they say 'Norrbotten' or 'Västerbotten'. Citizens of Sami descent are eligible to stand and vote in elections for the Swedish Sami Parliament , which is the case with Sami people elsewhere in Sweden as well. The Sami language has an official minority status in Kiruna Municipality , Gällivare Municipality , Jokkmokk Municipality and Arjeplog Municipality . The following municipalities have their seats in Lapland: As of 31 December 2017,
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1088-704: The status of duchy or county , depending on importance. After the separation from the Kalmar Union in 1523, the Kingdom incorporated only some of its new conquests as provinces. The most permanent acquisitions stemmed from the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658, in which the former Danish Scanian lands ( Skåne , Blekinge , Halland and Gotland ), along with the Norwegian Bohuslän , Jämtland and Härjedalen , became Swedish and gradually integrated. Other foreign territories were ruled as Swedish Dominions under
1122-460: Was counted as part of Götaland instead. Norrland ( Northland ) today comprises nine provinces in Northern and central Sweden. Until 1645 the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen were parts of Norway. In 1809, when Sweden ceded Finland to the Russian Empire , the old province of Lapland was split into Swedish Lapland and Finnish Lapland . Norrbotten was separated from Västerbotten at
1156-514: Was never considered a duchy but on 18 January 1884 the Privy Council gave all Provinces the right of use to a ducal coronet for their arms. Blazon Swedish version: "Argent, a Wildman statant Gules wrapped with birch leaves Vert on the head and around the waist holding a Club Or in dexter over the shoulder." The wildman used to be depicted with more features, impressively drawn muscles and a dour expression on his face. The wildman wielding
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