Västerbotten
, is a province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders Ångermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is famous for the cheese with the same name as the province.
Administration
The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. The administrative county, Västerbotten County, consists of the province and the southern part of Swedish Lappland.Heraldry
On January 18, 1884 all provinces gained the rights to the rank of duchy and the arms can be represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Azure Seme of Mullets Or a Reindeer in full course Argent attired and hoofed Gules."Geography
Västerbotten was historically divided into chartered cities and districts.
Cities
- Umeå (1622)
- Skellefteå (1845)
Historical jurisdiction
The historical province Västerbotten was divided in court districts.Facts
- Highest mountain: Åmliden 550 meters
- Largest lake: Bygdeträsket
History
Up until the Finnish War 1808-1809 and the Treaty of Fredrikshamn the province of Västerbotten also included a small part of today's Finland. This part has later been integrated in Lapland, Finland.
Västerbotten County was in 1810 split in two parts. The northern part got the name Norrbotten County. The locals of Norrbotten then started referring to themselves as Norrbothnians. The county borders thus gradually led to a local provincial identity. Nowadays Norrbotten is considered a separate province.
Västerbotten Regiment was the provincial regiment.
Dukes of Västerbotten
Since 1772, Swedish Princes have been created Dukes of various provinces. This is solely a nominal title.- Prince Gustaf Adolf (1906-1947)
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Friday September 19, 2008 at 08:36:02 PDT (GMT -0700)
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