Country Sweden Area 3,151.4 km2 Founded 1658 | University Campus Gotland Capital Visby | |
 | ||
Points of interest Visby city wall, Almedalen, Klinten, Kajsarporten, Town Walls, Visby, St. Catherines Ruins | ||
Governor Cecilia Schelin Seidegard | ||
Map of Gotland County
Gotland County (Swedish: Gotlands län) is a county or län of Sweden. Gotland is located in the Baltic Sea to the east of Öland, and is the largest of Sweden's islands. Counties are usually sub-divided into municipalities, but Gotland County only consists of one municipality: Gotland Municipality. Gotland County is the only county in Sweden that is not governed by a county council. The municipality handles the tasks that are otherwise handled by the county council, mainly health care and public transport. Like other counties, Gotland has a County Administrative Board that oversees implementation of the Swedish state government. Both the County Administrative Board and the municipality have their seat in the largest city Visby, with over 22,000 inhabitants.
Contents
Province
The counties of Sweden are no longer officially administrative units, but are used when reporting population size, politics, etc. In this case the province, the county and the municipality all have identical borders and cover an area of 3151 km² (3151 km² when excluding the lakes and rivers).
Administration
Gotland is the only Swedish county that is not administered by a county council. Instead, the municipality is tasked with the responsibilities of a county, including public health care and public transport.
The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Riksdag and the Government, to coordinate the interests and promote the development of the county, to establish regional goals and safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government agency headed by a Governor.
Politics
During a trial period the County Council provisions for Gotland has been evolved to provisions for a Regional Council, meaning that it has assumed certain tasks from the County Administrative Board. Similar provisions are applicable to the counties of Västra Götaland and Skåne during the trial period.
Localities in order of size
The five most populous localities of Gotland County in 2010:
Heraldry
Gotland County inherited its coat of arms from the province of Gotland. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.