Older subdivisions Sweden's
provinces, or
landskap, and the
"lands", or
landsdelar, lack political importance today but are common denominations culturally and historically. The provinces had their own laws and justice systems and could have large cultural and religious differences. The province of
Småland (literally
small land) historically was several provinces with its own laws. Here burial tradition in the era before the
Viking Age could differ significantly from province to province. The province of
Norrbotten is a relatively recent creation; it was part of
Västerbotten which extended all the way to
Österbotten in today's
Finland before 1809. Finnish and Swedish
Lapland formed a single province until 1809. Historically, the provinces were grouped in three lands:
Götaland, being southern and western Sweden;
Svealand being eastern and south-eastern, and
Norrland being the entire northern half. The names of the first two refer to ancient tribes, and the third is a geographical reference. They are still commonly used as geographical references. The boundaries have changed over time, with the most significant in 1658 (the cession of provinces from Denmark-Norway to Sweden) and 1812 (due to the loss of Finland to Russia in 1809). In 1812, some provinces were moved from
Götaland to
Svealand.
Finland After the
Finnish War, Sweden was forced to cede the counties in
Finland to
Russia following the
Treaty of Fredrikshamn in (1809). However, the counties were upheld in Finland until a
reform in 1997. They are still in use in Sweden, 370 years later. The counties in Finland established in 1634 were:
Turku and Pori County,
Nyland and Tavastehus County,
Viborg and Nyslott County,
Ostrobothnia County and
Kexholm County. Over time the number of subdivisions in Finland increased to twelve, until a reorganization in 1997 reduced their number to six
provinces, while keeping the administrative model intact. The counties in Finland were abolished in 2010.
Abolished counties Abolished counties in current-day
Sweden proper were: •
Skaraborg County +
Gothenburg and Bohus County +
Älvsborg County (merged as
Västra Götaland County in 1998) •
Kopparberg County (became
Dalarna County in 1997) •
Malmöhus County +
Kristianstad County (merged as
Skåne County in 1997) •
Norrland County (in 1645 divided into
Västerbotten County,
Hudiksvall County and
Härnösand County) •
Nyköping County,
Gripsholm County and
Eskilstunahus County (united in 1683 to become
Södermanland County) •
Närke and Värmland County (became
Örebro County) •
Härnösand County (1645–1654, formed
Västernorrland County) •
Hudiksvall County (1645–1654, formed
Gävleborg County) •
Office of the Governor of Stockholm (1634–1967, united with
Stockholm County) •
Svartsjö County (1786–1809, united with
Stockholm County) •
Öland County (1819–1826, united with
Kalmar County) Counties in Swedish-ruled
Finland were: •
Turku and Pori County (1634–1809) •
Nyland and Tavastehus County (1634–1809) •
Ostrobothnia County (1634–1775) •
Viborg and Nyslott County (1634–1721) •
Kexholm County (1634–1721) •
Kymmenegård and Nyslott County (1721–1747) •
Savolax and Kymmenegård County (1747–1775) •
Vasa County (1775–1809) •
Oulu County (1775–1809) •
Kymmenegård County (1775–1809) •
Savolax and Karelia County (1775–1809) == Proposed regions ==