Norrbotten County

From Free net encyclopedia

Norrbotten County (Norrbottens län) is a Swedish county or län in the extreme north of Sweden. It borders to Västerbotten County and the Gulf of Bothnia. It also borders to Nordland and Troms counties in Norway, and Lapland Province in Finland.

The name Norrbotten is also used for a province of the same name. This province covers only the eastern part of Norrbotten County – the inland mostly belongs to the Swedish Lapland (Lappland) province.

**Norrbottens län**
Image:Svcmap norrbotten.png Map highlighting the location of Norrbotten County in Sweden	Image:Norrbotten.png
	County	SE-BD, SE082
	Residence City	Luleå
	Province	Norrbotten and Lapland
	Created	1810
	Area - -	98,911 km², 24.1% of Sweden; ranked 1st
	Population Reference: ranked list	258,094 inh., 2.6 inh/km²
	GRP	See this ranked list

1 Provinces
2 Geography
3 Population
4 History
- 4.1 Heraldry
- 4.2 Culture
5 Administration
6 Municipalities
7 References
8 External links

[edit]

Provinces

Norrbotten and about 2/3 of Swedish Lapland.

[edit]

Geography

Norrbotten County covers almost 1/4 of Sweden's surface, but is sparsely inhabited. This is especially true for inland part of Lapland.

The climate is generally harsh, which is not surprising considering its northern location. However, the long summer days allow crops to ripen within 2-3 months, and various grains are commonly grown and make up an important part of the industry. Besides grains, potatoes and turnips are also grown. The most important plant is however grass, used as hay for the livestock.

Major rivers in Norrbotten County (north-south) include the Torne River, Lule River, Kalix River and Pite River. Rivers shared with Västerbotten County include Skellefte River and Ume River. Other rivers that flow directly to the sea and that are at least 100 km long are the Sangis River, Råne River, Åby River and Byske River.

[edit]

Population

The population has increased during the last hundred years. The estimated 2002 population was 250,000. In the 1912 census, the population was 166,641, (4,000 more males than females), and of this, around 120,000 belonged to the Norrbotten Province (then Northern Västerbotten Province) part. Twenty years earlier, in 1892, the population was only 110,000. Template:Ref. Since the 1960s, however, most municipalities of the county have experienced a decrease in population figures, particularly in the inland.

[edit]

History

Following the Finnish War in 1809 Västerbotten County was separated into a Swedish and a Finnish part, where the main part remained within Swedish borders. In 1810 the county was divided once more when Norrbotten County was created out of the northern part, on the Swedish side. Still, most people in Norrbotten County mean the entire county, including the areas in Lapland, when the say 'Norrbotten', which is also the name of a smaller province. The reasons are practical and historical and does not mean they wouldn't prefer the name Lapland.

[edit]

Heraldry

The arms for the Norrbotten County is a combination of the arms of Västerbotten and Laponia. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board. Blazon: "Quartered, the arms of Westrobothnia and the arms of Laponia."

[edit]

Culture

The culture of Norrbotten County is in many ways different from the rest of Sweden, since many different cultures meet there; the Sami culture, the Finnish culture and the Swedish settler-culture (combined with the climate, midnight sun, and mid winter darkness). There is a saying in Norrbotten County called "I am not Swedish - I am a Norrbottnian".

Along the coast are the historical cities Luleå and Piteå. Luleå's old town section Gammelstad (10 km north of the present city) has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sami, Meänkieli, and Finnish may be used in dealing with government agencies, courts, municipalities, preschools and nursing homes in parts of Norrbotten County.

[edit]

Administration

The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Parliament and the Government, to coordinate the interests of the county, to 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 nominally a Government Agency headed by a Governor. See List of Norrbotten Governors.

The County Council of Norrbotten or Norrbottens Läns Landsting.

[edit]