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36-520: Götaland ( Swedish: [ˈjø̂ːtaˌland] ; also Gothia , Gothland , Gothenland or Gautland ) is one of three lands of Sweden and comprises ten provinces . Geographically it is located in the south of Sweden, bounded to the north by Svealand , with the deep woods of Tiveden , Tylöskog and Kolmården marking the border. Götaland once consisted of petty kingdoms , and their inhabitants were called Gautar in Old Norse . However,

72-482: A Natura 2000 habitat (type 1180) by the European Union (EU). The Kattegat, characterised by widespread anoxia , was one of the first marine dead zones to be noted in the 1970s, when scientists began studying how intensive industrial activities affected the natural world. Since then, studies and research has provided much insight into processes like eutrophication , and how to deal with it. Denmark and

108-564: A common ethnic term for the people of both Västergötland and Östergötland . Västergötland appears in medieval Icelandic and Norwegian sources as Gautland (Götland), a form which is not etymologically identical to Götaland . The name Götaland replaced the old Götland in the 15th century, and it was probably to distinguish the wider region it denoted from the traditional heartland in Västergötland. The name Götaland probably originally referred only to Västergötland and Östergötland, but

144-501: A separate province. Dal to the north west became the province of Dalsland . Småland, Öland and Dalsland were already seen as lands belonging to Götaland during the Scandinavian Middle Ages (12th–15th century). Småland was full of deep coniferous forest, especially in the south, and of lesser importance to Götaland compared to the agricultural areas in Västergötland and Östergötland. But on its Baltic Sea coast lay

180-576: A success, although the work is not finished and all goals are not completely met yet. Due to the very heavy sea traffic and many large coastal settlements, the Kattegat has been designated as a Sulphur Emission Control Area as part of the Baltic Sea since 2006. As from 1 January 2016 the benchmark for sulphur in fuels was lowered to 0.1%. Several larger areas of the Kattegat are designated as Natura 2000 and under various bird protections such as

216-477: Is 87,712 km with about 4.4 million inhabitants including the second and third largest urban areas of Sweden . Lands of Sweden The lands have no administrative functions 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 : Sweden was historically divided into

252-534: Is generally considered to be one of three Swedish lands or parts. It is made up of ten provinces , based loosely on the area originally under the jurisdiction of the Göta Court of Appeals (established in 1634), to which the Scanian lands , Gotland and Bohuslän were added in 1658–79: Administratively, Sweden is not divided into provinces but into counties (see Län ). Although Götaland is defined in terms of

288-596: The Copenhagen street Kattesundet has a comparable etymological meaning, namely 'narrow passage', lit.   ' cat's strait ' . An archaic name for both the Skagerrak and Kattegat was the Norwegian Sea or Jutland Sea ( Knýtlinga saga mentions the name Jótlandshaf ). Its ancient Latin name was Sinus Codanus . Control of the Kattegat, and access to it, have been important throughout

324-703: The Treaty of Roskilde (1658), Denmark-Norway ceded Scania, Blekinge and Halland ( Skåneland ) and Bohuslän to Sweden. These provinces are since then part of Götaland. 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

360-533: The 11th century, and would continue for several hundred years. Other parts of modern Götaland were at that time either Danish or Norwegian. The province of Småland , with the historically important city Kalmar on its coast, was sparsely populated and the status of the Baltic island Gotland varied during the Middle Ages. Bohuslän became Swedish first during the 17th century after being lost from Norway , around

396-573: The Baltic Sea and has a much lower salinity, comparable to brackish water , but still a great deal higher than the rest of the Baltic Sea . These two opposing flows transport a net surplus of 475 km (114 cu mi) seawater from the Baltic to the Skagerrak every year. During stronger winds, the layers in the Kattegat are completely mixed in some places, such as the Great Belt , so

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432-558: The EU have initiated costly and far-reaching domestic projects in order to stop, repair and prevent these environmentally destructive and economically damaging processes since the first Action Plan for the Aquatic Environment in 1985, and are now busy implementing the fourth Action Plan. The action plans sums up a broad range of initiatives and includes the so-called Nitrate Directives. The action plans have generally been viewed as

468-653: The Kattegat are the rivers of Göta älv at Gothenburg , together with the Lagan , Nissan , Ätran and Viskan in the province of Halland on the Swedish side, and the river of Gudenå in Jutland , in Denmark. The main islands of the Kattegat are Samsø , Læsø and Anholt ; the latter two are, due to their relatively dry climate, perceived as belonging to "the Danish desert belt". A number of noteworthy coastal areas abut

504-516: The Kattegat has been considered. Since the late 2000s, the project has seen a renewed interest from several influential politicians in Denmark. The bridge is usually envisioned as connecting Hov (a village south of Odder in the Aarhus area) with Samsø and Kalundborg . The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the "Kattegat, Sound and Belts" (that is, the Kattegat, Øresund , Great Belt , and Little Belt ) as follows: On

540-658: The Kattegat, including the Kullaberg Nature Reserve in Scania, Sweden, which contains a number of rare species and a scenic rocky shore , the town of Mölle , which has a picturesque harbour and views into the Kullaberg, and Skagen at the northern tip of Denmark. Since the 1950s, a bridge project usually referred to as Kattegatbroen (the Kattegat Bridge ) connecting Jutland and Zealand across

576-429: The Kattegat, the salinity has a pronounced two-layer structure. The upper layer has a salinity between 18‰ and 26‰ and the lower layer – separated by a strong halocline at around 15 m (49 ft) – has a salinity between 32‰ and 34‰. The lower layer consists of inflowing seawater from the Skagerrak, with a salinity on level with most other coastal seawaters, while the upper layer consists of inflowing seawater from

612-583: The North : A line joining Skagen (The Skaw, northernmost point of Denmark) and Paternoster Skær ( 57°54′N 11°27′E  /  57.900°N 11.450°E  / 57.900; 11.450 ) and thence northeastward through the shoals to Tjörn Island . On the South : The limits of the Baltic Sea in the Belts and Sound: According to Den Store Danske Encyklopædi and Nudansk Ordbog  [ da ] ,

648-578: The Swedes and the Danes several times. Although the island may be perceived to have closer links to Svealand, it is counted as part of Götaland. Värmland originally belonged to the Göta Court of Appeal, but the province changed to become part of the Court of Appeal for Svealand for a period of time in the early 19th century. Today, Götaland has no administrative function and is thus an unofficial entity, but it

684-458: The definition established in a 1932 convention signed by Denmark, Norway and Sweden (registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series 1933–1934), the northern boundary between the Kattegat and Skagerrak are found at the northernmost point of Skagen on Jutland, while the southern boundary towards Øresund is found at the tip of Kullen Peninsula in Scania. Major waterways that drain into

720-630: The four lands: Götaland (with exception of Scania , Blekinge , Halland and Bohuslän until the 17th century), Svealand , Norrland and Österland . Large parts of Norrland were only inhabited by the Sami people and the border towards Norway was unclear in the far north. In the Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645) Denmark-Norway ceded the Norwegian provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen to Sweden. These provinces are part of Norrland. In

756-828: The historical provinces and not the counties, it roughly comprises the modern counties of Blekinge , Gotland , Halland , Jönköping , Kalmar , Kronoberg , Östergötland , Scania and Västra Götaland . Deep forests are found in the Småland province, there is plenty of farmland in Skåne , and a little bit of both in Västergötland and Östergötland . Coasts are usually relatively flat and consist of archipelagoes as well as sandy beaches. The two largest islands of Sweden are included in Götaland. The two largest lakes of Sweden are also situated mainly in Götaland. The total area

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792-668: The history of international seafaring. Until the completion of the Eider Canal in 1784, the Kattegat was the only sea route into and out of the Baltic region. Beginning in 1429 in the Middle Ages , the Danish royal family – and later the state of Denmark – prospered greatly from the Sound dues , a toll charged for passage through the Øresund , while Copenhagen provided shelter, trade, and repair opportunities and protection from piracy . The dues were eventually lifted in 1857. In

828-665: The important town of Kalmar . In 1397, the Kalmar Union was proclaimed at Kalmar Castle , a personal union of the three countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway under one King – or initially one Queen, as Queen Margaret I became the first sovereign of this, the largest ever of Scandinavian states. In the Treaty of Roskilde (1658), the kingdom of Denmark-Norway ceded the Danish provinces of Blekinge , Halland , Scania , and Norwegian province of Bohuslän to Sweden. These provinces are since then counted as parts of Götaland. The island of Gotland shifted allegiance between

864-405: The kingdom consisted of Swerige (Sweden, i.e. Svealand), Österland (i.e. Finland ) and Göthaland (i.e. Götaland, as of the 1384 borders). The small countries to the south – Finnveden , Kind , Möre , Njudung , Tjust , Tveta , Värend , and Ydre – were merged into the province of Småland (literally: [the] "small lands"). Off the coast of Småland was the island of Öland , which became

900-531: The many sandy and stony reefs and tricky currents, which often shift. In modern times, artificial seabed channels have been dug, many reefs have been dredged by either sand pumping or boulder clearance, and a well-developed light signaling network has been installed to safeguard the very heavy international traffic on this small sea. There are several large cities and major ports on the Kattegat, including, in descending size, Gothenburg , Aarhus , Aalborg , Halmstad , Varberg and Frederikshavn . According to

936-624: The name derives from the Dutch words katte 'cat's' and gat 'gate, passage'. It derives from late medieval navigation jargon, in which captains of the Hanseatic trading fleets would compare the Danish straits to a passage so tight that even a cat would have difficulty squeezing its way through, owing to the many reefs and shoals. At one point, the passable waters were a mere 3.84 km (2.07 nmi; 4,200 yd) wide. The name of

972-483: The overall salinity is highly variable in this small sea. This sets some unique conditions for the sealife here. Cold seeps , locally known as bubbling reefs ( Danish : boblerev ), are found in the northern Kattegat. Unlike cold seeps in most other places (including the North Sea and Skagerrak), the Kattegat bubbling reefs are at relatively shallow depths, generally between 0 and 30 m (0–100 ft) below

1008-455: The plural form of the dative case . For the etymology of the element Geat/Gaut/Göt and Goth, see Geat . Västergötland and Östergötland , once rival kingdoms themselves, constitute Götaland proper. The Geatish kings , however, belong to the domain of Norse mythology . Both Västergötland and Östergötland have large agricultural areas. It was along the coasts and at the agricultural areas as people settled down, villages and towns grew up and

1044-842: The poem Beowulf is said to have lived. It was only late in the Middle Ages that Götaland began to be perceived as a part of Sweden . In Old Norse and in Old English sources, Gautland/Geatland is still treated as a separate country from Sweden. In Sögubrot af Nokkrum for instance, Kolmården between Svealand and Östergötland is described as the border between Sweden and Ostrogothia (... Kolmerkr, er skilr Svíþjóð ok Eystra-Gautland ...), and in Hervarar saga , King Ingold I rides to Sweden through Östergötland: Ingi konungr fór með hirð sína ok sveit nokkura ok hafði lítinn her. Hann reið austr um Smáland ok í eystra Gautland ok svá í Svíþjóð . In 1384 Bo Jonsson (Grip) stated in his will that

1080-631: The population grew fastest. The large river Göta Älv drains the third largest lake in Europe, Lake Vänern . At its mouth (where Gothenburg emerged during the earlier part of the 17th century) the population in Västergötland had rights to reach the Kattegat sea. Otherwise the Göta Älv estuary was the border between the Kingdoms of Norway and Denmark . Geatland is the land in which the medieval hero of

1116-558: The provinces of Bohuslän , Västergötland , Halland and Scania in Sweden in the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Danish straits. The sea area is a continuation of the Skagerrak and may be seen as a bay of the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean , but in traditional Scandinavian usage, this is not the case. The Kattegat is a rather shallow sea and can be very difficult and dangerous to navigate because of

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1152-633: The same time as Denmark lost Scania , Halland and Blekinge to Sweden. The earliest possible mentions of the götar is by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy , who mentions the Goutai (Γούται in Greek ). Later, the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf (8th–11th century) is partly set among the Gēatas . Norwegian and Icelandic sources sometimes use Gautar only for the people of Västergötland , but sometimes as

1188-463: The south and middle. [REDACTED] Media related to Lands of Sweden at Wikimedia Commons Kattegat The Kattegat ( Danish: [ˈkʰætəkæt] ; Swedish : Kattegatt [ˈkâtːɛˌɡat] ) is a 30,000 km (12,000 sq mi) sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and

1224-459: The surface. The seeps rely on methane deposited during the Eemian period and during calm weather the bubbles can sometimes be seen on the water surface. Carbonate cementation and lithification form slaps or pillars up to 4 m (13 ft) tall, and support a rich biodiversity . Because of their unique status, the Kattegat bubbling reefs receive a level of protection and are recognized as

1260-508: The term mainly referred to the population of modern Västergötland . It is agreed that these were the same as the Geats , the people of the hero Beowulf in England's national epic , Beowulf . The modern state of Sweden started forming when some provinces of Götaland gradually became more and more politically intertwined with those of Svealand. This process can be traced back to at least

1296-673: Was later extended to adjoining districts. The name Götaland is possibly a plural construction and means the "lands of the Geats", where Göta- is the genitive plural of the ethnonym Göt (Geat). The interpretation that the neuter noun - land is a plural and not a singular noun is indicated by Bo Jonsson Grip 's will in 1384, where he stated that he donated property in Swerige (Sweden, i.e. Svealand ), Österlandom ( Finland ) and in Göthalandom to monasteries. Here Götaland appears in

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