Hisingen

Hisingen

Eriksberg on the northern bank of the Göta älv river where housing areas have replaced the shipyards.
Hisingen
Geography
Location	Kattegat
Coordinates	57°46′N 11°53′E / 57.767°N 11.883°E / 57.767; 11.883
Area	198.84 km2 (76.77 sq mi)
Administration
Sweden
County	Västra Götaland County
Municipality	Gothenburg Municipality
Demographics
Population	130,000
Pop. density	628.14 /km2 (1,626.88 /sq mi)

Hisingen is the fourth-largest island of Sweden (after Gotland, Öland and Orust), with an area of 199 km² (77 sq mi). It forms part of Gothenburg and is bordered by the Göta älv to the south and east, the Nordre älv to the north, and the Kattegat to the west. The northern part of the city of Gothenburg, with its harbours, industries and suburbs, is located on the island, which is divided between the two historical provinces of Västergötland and Bohuslän.

The population of the island is around 130,000, making it the most populated island in Sweden, ahead of Södermalm and Gotland.

For a brief, post-war period Hisingen was home to the largest shipbuilding centre in the world, but all three yards closed in 1979. Hisingen is home to both the Volvo Group and the now separate Volvo Cars. Most of the Nordic countries' largest port, the Port of Gothenburg is also located on Hisingen.

The etymology of the name Hisingen is disputed. Hísing makes its first appearance in 13th century Icelandic sources; Hisingen is dated back to 1399.

The basic meaning of the prefix His- is "to split, cut off" and can be found in the placenames Hisøy and Hisön. Hence, the name can be interpreted as "the island cut off from the mainland".

A colloquial name for Hisingen is Elevator Nobody or Lift Nobody. This is a play on words; hiss is Swedish for elevator-lift, and ingen is Swedish for nobody.

The rock wall paintings (Tumlehed rock painting) and remains of ancient settlements prove that Hisingen was inhabited by the year 9000 BC.