Norrbotten County

Encyclopedia : N : NO : NOR : Norrbotten County

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

Map highlighting the location of Norrbotten County in Sweden
County [[ISO 3166-2:SE>SE-BD]], [[NUTS:SE|SE082]]
Residence City Luleå
Province Norrbotten and Lapland
Created 1810
Area
-
- 98,911 km², 24.1% of Sweden;
ranked 1st
Population
Reference: ranked list of Swedish counties>ranked list 258,094 inh., 2.6 inh/km²

GRP ranked list

**Norrbottens län**
Map highlighting the location of Norrbotten County in Sweden
County	[[ISO 3166-2:SE>SE-BD]], [[NUTS:SE\|SE082]]
Residence City	Luleå
Province	Norrbotten and Lapland
Created	1810
Area - -	98,911 km², 24.1% of Sweden; ranked 1st
Population Reference: ranked list of Swedish counties>ranked list	258,094 inh., 2.6 inh/km²
GRP	ranked list

Map highlighting the location of Blekinge County in Sweden County [[ISO 3166-2:SE>SE-K]], [[NUTS:SE|SE41]] Residence City Karlskrona Province Blechingia Created 1683 Area
-
- 2,941 km², 0.7% of Sweden;
ranked 21st Population
Reference: ranked list of Swedish counties>ranked list 150,625 inh., 51.2 inh/km²
GRP ranked list

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Contents

1 Provinces
2 Geography
3 Population
4 History

4.1 Heraldry
4.2 Culture

5 Administration
6 Municipalities
7 References
8 External links

Provinces

Norrbotten and about 2/3 of Swedish Lapland.

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.

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. #redirect [[Template:Fact]]. Since the 1960s, however, most municipalities of the county have experienced a decrease in population figures, particularly in the inland.

History

During the middle ages, Norrbotten was a no man's land. The area was sparsely populated by sami, kvens and different tribes/people related to the Finns. From the Middle ages on, the Swedish kings tried hard to colonize and christianze the area. But it took time - even today, Finnish and Sami minorities live in the area and have maintained their culture and customs.

Following the Finnish War in 1809 Västerbotten County was separated into a Swedish and a Finnish part, with the larger part remaining within Swedish borders. In 1810 the county was divided again when Norrbotten County was created out of the northern part, on the Swedish side. Still, most people in Norrbotten County refer to the entire county, including the areas in Lapland, when they say 'Norrbotten', which is also the name of a smaller province. The reasons are practical and historical and do not imply they wouldn't prefer the name Lapland.

During the industrialization of Sweden, the natural resources (hydroelectricity, timber and minerals) from Norrbotten played a key role. Still, Norrbotten is poor compared to the southern parts of Sweden. The unemployment is high and young people leave for a better future "down south".

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."

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 (tornedalians) and the Swedish settler-culture (combined with the climate, midnight sun, and mid winter darkness). Many of the old swedish and finnish dialects have survived in the area, and are spoken by a great number of people. 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.

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.

Municipalities

From north to south with approximate population figures as of 2002.

In Norrbotten Province:

Pajala (7,000)
Övertorneå (5,500)
Överkalix (4,000)
Boden (28,000)
Kalix (17,500)
Haparanda (10,000)
Älvsbyn (8,500)
Luleå (72,500)
Piteå (40,500)

In Swedish Lapland:

Kiruna (23,500 inhabitants)
Gällivare (19,500)
Jokkmokk (5,500)
Arjeplog (3,200)
Arvidsjaur (7,000)

The Sami language can be used in contacts with local authorities in Arjeplog, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Kiruna. Similarly, Finnish and Meänkieli can be used in Gällivare, Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala and Övertorneå.

References

[article Norrbottens län] from Nordisk familjebok (1912).

External links

[Norrbotten County Administrative Board]
[Norrbotten County Council]
Norrbotten Regional Association of Local Authorities

Counties of Sweden
Blekinge \| Dalarna \| Gotland \| Gävleborg \| Halland \| Jämtland \| Jönköping \| Kalmar \| Kronoberg \| Norrbotten \| Örebro \| Östergötland \| Skåne \| Stockholm \| Södermanland \| Uppsala \| Värmland \| Västerbotten \| Västernorrland \| Västmanland \| Västra Götaland

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