Norrland

Norrland is a historical land of Sweden. To the west it represents the northern half of Sweden bounded to the south by Svealand and to the east it represents the northern half of Finland bounded to the south by Österland.

Provinces

Norrland was made up of the following nine provinces:

• Gästrikland
• Hälsingland
• Härjedalen
• Jämtland
• Lappland
• Medelpad
• Västerbotten
• Ångermanland
• Österbotten

During the 20th century the northern part of Västerbotten also came to be recognised as a separate province in its own right:

• Norrbotten

History

As the Swedish kingdom expanded north both on the western (Swedish) side and the eastern (Finnnish) side of the Gulf of Bothnia the territories uncovered were organised into provinces. At the Treaty of Roskilde (1658) Norway ceded Jämtland and Härjedalen to Sweden and which were incorporated as provinces. Upon the separation of Sweden and Finland in 1809 Norrland was split in two parts, leaving all of Österbotten, and the eastern parts of Lappland and Västerbotten to the Grand Duchy of Finland, as a part of the Russian Empire.

See also: Lands of Sweden, Provinces of Sweden, Historical provinces of Finland