— Ch. 1 · Hills And Lakes Define The Land —
Västergötland.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
The southern and eastern part of Västergötland is dominated by hills belonging to the southern Swedish highlands. In geological terms, southern Västergötland consists of northward tilted surfaces of the Sub-Cambrian peneplain making up the flank of the Southern Swedish Dome. The northern and western portions belong to the Central Swedish lowland, which in this area is called the Västgöta-plains. Characteristic for these lowlands are hills made up of Silurian-aged sedimentary rock. These include Kinnekulle, Halleberg, Hunneberg, and Billingen. Along the Kattegat lies the archipelago usually known as the Gothenburg archipelago. The south part of it belongs to Gothenburg Municipality and is part of Västergötland. The northwestern border is demarcated by Sweden's largest lake Vänern. The northeastern border is demarcated by Sweden's second largest lake Vättern. Within the province the shoreline of Lake Vänern stretches 140 kilometers. Along Vättern it is 65 kilometers long. The average rainfall is 700 millimeters near the coast and 500 millimeters in the plains. The highest mountain is Galtåsen at 362 meters.
Counties Replaced Ancient Borders
From the 17th century up until the 31st of December 1997, Västergötland was divided into Skaraborg County, Älvsborg County and a minor part of Gothenburg and Bohus County. In 1634, the province was modernized with the establishment of two counties: Skaraborg County with Skara as capital and Älvsborg County with its capital first in Gothenburg but after 1679 in Vänersborg. From the 1st of January 1998 nearly all of the province is in the newly created Västra Götaland County. Habo Municipality and Mullsjö Municipality were transferred to Jönköping County. Smaller parts of the province are now in Halland County and Örebro County. As of the 31st of December 2016, Västergötland had a population of 1,328,128 distributed over four counties. One million three hundred five thousand six hundred fifty-nine people lived in the part of Västra Götaland County. Eighteen thousand eight hundred twelve resided in the part of Jönköping County. Two thousand one hundred twenty-six lived in the part of Halland County. One thousand five hundred thirty-one inhabited the part of Örebro County.