VASTRA GOTALAND

ln (county), southwestern Sweden. It was created in 1998 by the amalgamation of the counties of lvsborg, Gteborg och Bohus, and Skaraborg. The capital is Gteborg, Sweden's major port and second largest city. Vstra Gtaland is bordered on the west by Norway, the Skagerrak, and the northern extremity of the Kattegat. It extends eastward to the western shore of Lake Vnern in the north and to the region between Lakes Vnern and Vttern in the south and encompasses the traditional landskapen (provinces) of Bohusln, Dalsland, and Vstergtland. The varied terrain is hilly in the north, flat and low around Lake Vnern, and hilly again in the area west and southwest of Lake Vttern; elevations can exceed 1,000 feet (300 metres) near the lake's western shore. The Gta River is the principal stream, draining southwestward from Lake Vnern to Gteborg. Soils are poor in the hilly areas, which remain largely forested, but soil deposits from the ancient Yoldia Sea, an extension of the Baltic Sea that is believed to have covered the region c. 7500 BC, have produced fertile areas. Wheat, rye, and oats are grown, and cattle raising and dairying are important. The county's industry, centred on Gteborg and Bors, includes quarrying, automobile assembly, and the manufacture of cement and matches. The falls and rapids of the Gta River are an important source of hydroelectricity, with a major station at Trollhttan. Numerous seaside resorts have made the coast a noted tourist area. Falkping is an ancient city that contributed heavily to the development of Swedish culture and law. Skara, the pre-Christian religious centre, became the seat of Sweden's first bishop in 1015 and was an important city in the Middle Ages. Other major cities include Lidkping, Skvde, and Vnersborg. Area 9,449 square miles (24,473 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 1,485,811.