Västra Götaland County () is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
or ''
län'' on the western coast of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
(''kommuner''). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population. The formal capital and seat of the governor of Västra Götaland County is
Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
. The political capital and seat of the
Västra Götaland Regional Council is
Vänersborg.
The county was established on 1 January 1998, when
Älvsborg County,
Gothenburg and Bohus County and
Skaraborg County were merged.
Provinces
Sweden's counties are generally of greater importance than its
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
. The counties are the main administrative units for politics and population census counts.
Due to its size and young age, the Västra Götaland County has no common heritage. Of cultural and historical significance are the provinces that Västra Götaland County consists of:
Västergötland,
Bohuslän and
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, ...
. There is also an insignificant part of the province
Halland within the county.
In addition, the previous counties that were abolished in 1998 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
Värmland,
Örebro,
Östergötland,
Jönköping
Jönköping (, ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland.
The city is the seat o ...
and
Halland. It is also bounded by the
Norwegian counties of
Østfold and
Vestfold
Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...
both with a land and maritime border, lakes
Vättern and
Vänern, as well as the strait of
Skagerrak.
Administration
Västra Götaland was created in 1998 by a merger of the three former counties of
Gothenburg and Bohus County,
Älvsborg County and
Skaraborg County. The seat of residence for the
Governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
or ''Landshövding'' is
Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
, while the seat of political administration and power is
Vänersborg. The Governor is the head of the
County Administrative Board or ''Länsstyrelse''.
The 2010 election in Västra Götaland was rerun when the Election Review Board of the Swedish Parliament voided the original election "due to mistakes and irregularities in the handling of ballots."
Politics
The
Västra Götaland Regional Council 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
Skåne County ( ), sometimes referred to as Scania County or just Scania in English, is the southernmost Counties of Sweden, county, or , of Sweden, mostly corresponding to the traditional Provinces of Sweden, province of Scania. It borders th ...
and
Gotland County.
Notable people
*
Anton Julius Carlson (1875–1956), Swedish American physiologist, was born in Svarteborg, Västra Götaland County.
Municipalities
*
Ale
*
Alingsås
*
Bengtsfors
*
Bollebygd
*
Borås
*
Dals-Ed
*
Essunga
*
Falköping
*
Färgelanda
*
Grästorp
*
Gullspång
*
Götene
*
Gothenburg
Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
*
Herrljunga
*
Hjo
*
Härryda
*
Karlsborg
*
Kungälv
*
Lerum
*
Lidköping
*
Lilla Edet
*
Lysekil
*
Mariestad
*
Mark
*
Mellerud
*
Munkedal
*
Mölndal
*
Orust
*
Partille
*
Skara
*
Skövde
*
Sotenäs
*
Stenungsund
*
Strömstad
*
Svenljunga
*
Tanum
*
Tibro
*
Tidaholm
*
Tjörn
*
Tranemo
*
Trollhättan
*
Töreboda
*
Uddevalla
*
Ulricehamn
*
Vara
*
Vårgårda
*
Vänersborg
*
Åmål
*
Öckerö
Heraldry
The arms for the County of Västra Götaland were granted in 1998 when the county was formed. They are a combination of the provincial arms of Västergötland, Bohuslän and Dalsland and the arms of the city of Gothenburg. When the arms are shown with a royal crown they represent 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."
Notes
References
See also
*
List of Västra Götaland Governors
External links
Region Västra GötalandVästra Götaland County Administrative BoardGothenburg Regional Association of Local Authorities
Sjuhärad Regional Association of Local AuthoritiesSkaraborg Regional Association of Local AuthoritiesFyrbodals Regional Association of Local Authorities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vastra Gotaland County
Counties of Sweden
Bohuslän
Dalsland
Västergötland
States and territories established in 1998
1998 establishments in Sweden