Gothenburg, or Göteborg, is a city and a municipality on the western coast of Sweden, in the county of Västra Götaland. It is the largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the seat of residence for the county.
City | Gothenburg (1621) |
County | Västra Götaland |
Historical Province | Västergötland |
Area - Total |
Ranked 183rd 449 km² |
Population - Total (1999) - Density |
Ranked 2nd 462.470 1030.9 /km² (9th) |
|
In the early 17th century Sweden controlled only one point on the western coastline. An attempt in 1607 to found a city by the name of Gothenburg on the nearby island of Hisingen had failed due to the Kalmar War[?], but the second attempt in 1621, by King Gustavus Adolphus, was successful. Following the successive wars, by 1658 all the Danish eastern provinces were ceded to Sweden, by the Treaty of Roskilde.
The municipality is subdivided into 21 boroughs, which carry responsibility for primary school, social, leisure and cultural services within their respective areas. A point of some controversy is the fact that the borough councils do not reflect the local majority, but follow the majority at City Hall for the entire municipality. In the election of 1998 three boroughs -- Askim, Torslanda and Älvsborg -- held local referenda on forming their own municipalities, but their petitions were rejected by the Government of Sweden.
Situated on the western coast by Kattegat, an arm of the North Sea, at the outlet of the river Göta älv and Göta kanal. Nearby municipalities include Mölndal, Partille, Lerum, Kungälv and Kungsbacka.
By its naturally advantageous location, Gothenburg houses the largest and most important harbor installation in Scandinavia. Trade and shipping have always been important businesses and already in the 18th century it was the home to the Swedish East India Company[?]. Industry developed into an important business, and examples include SKF, Volvo and Ericsson.
Municipalities of Västra Götaland:
Gothenburg | Kungälv | Lilla Edet | Lysekil | Munkedal | Orust | Sotenäs
Stenungsund | Strömstad | Tanum | Tjörn | Uddevalla | Öckerö
Essunga | Falköping | Grästorp | Gullspång | Götene | Hjo | Härryda | Karlsborg | Lidköping
Mariestad | Mölndal | Partille | Skara | Skövde | Tibro | Tidaholm | Töreboda | Vara
Ale | Alingsås | Bengtsfors | Bollebygd | Borås | Dals-Ed | Färgelanda | Herrljunga | Lerum | Mark
Mellerud | Svenljunga | Tranemo | Trollhättan | Ulricehamn | Vårgårda | Vänersborg | Åmål
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