HALLAND

ln (county) of southern Sweden, coextensive with the traditional landskap (province) of Halland. Its land area of 2,106 square miles (5,454 square km), extending no more than 30 miles (48 km) inland, is a low, undulating region of heaths and ridges that rise above gently sloping sandy beaches. The coastline is smooth with few anchorages. Four riversViskan, tran, Nissan, and Lagan, famous for their salmon and long harnessed for hydroelectricitycross the ln. Originally part of Denmark, the region was ceded to Sweden in 1645 after having been conquered by Charles X. Rye, oats, and sugar beets are grown in the ln, and there are brick, tile, and engineering works. Halmstad (q.v.), the capital, and several other cities in the ln are of medieval origin. Pop. (1990 est.) 250,959.