Västra Götaland
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Västra Götaland Västra Götalands län |
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| County of Sweden | |||
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| Country | Sweden | ||
| Founded | 1998 | ||
| Capital | Gothenburg and Vänersborg | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Lars Bäckström | ||
| • Council | Västra Götaland Regional Council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 25,247 km2 (9,748 sq mi) | ||
| Population (December 31 2013) | |||
| • Total | 1,615,084 | ||
| • Density | 64/km2 (170/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | SE-O | ||
| GDP/ Nominal | SEK 387,000 million($50 billion) (2004) | ||
| GDP per capita | SEK 377,000($52,000) (2010) | ||
| NUTS Region | SE232 | ||
| Website | www |
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Västra Götaland County (Swedish: Västra Götalands län) is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second largest (in terms of population) of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities (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. The political capital and seat of the Västra Götaland Regional Council is Vänersborg.
The county was established in 1998, when Älvsborg County, Gothenburg and Bohus County and Skaraborg County were merged.
Sweden's counties are generally of greater importance than its provinces. The counties are the main administrative units for politics and population counts.
Due to its size and young age, the Västra Götaland County has no common inheritance. Of cultural and historical significance are the provinces that Västra Götaland County consists of: Västergötland, Bohuslän and Dalsland. 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.
Västra Götaland County borders to the counties of Värmland, Örebro, Östergötland, Jönköping and Halland. It is also bounded by the Norwegian county of Østfold, lakes Vättern and Vänern, as well as the strait of Skagerrak.
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