Map of Västra Götaland
Västra Götaland is a first-level division of Sweden. Its largest mapped city is Göteborg, with about 537,797 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Västra Götaland, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Göteborg
- Country
- Sweden
Interactive Map of Västra Götaland
About Västra Götaland
Västra Götaland County (Swedish: Västra Götalands län [ˈvɛ̂stra ˈjøːtaˌlɑːnds lɛn]) is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.
The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (kommuner). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population. The formal capital and seat of the governor of Västra Götaland County is Gothenburg. The political capital and seat of the Västra Götaland Regional Council is Vänersborg.
The county was established on 1 January 1998, when Älvsborg County, Gothenburg and Bohus County and Skaraborg County were merged.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Västra Götaland County (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Västra Götaland: Key Facts
| Population | 1,778,822 (2026) |
|---|---|
| Area | 34,331 km² |
| Capital | Gothenburg |
| Head of government | Anders Danielsson |
| Established | 1 January 1998 |
Facts from Wikidata Q103093 (CC0).
History of Västra Götaland: Empires and States
The atlas records 8 polities whose mapped territory included part of Västra Götaland, from Goths in 30 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Goths | 30–153 CE |
| Scandinavian minor kingdoms | 500–999 CE |
| Kingdom of Sweden | 1000–2024 CE |
| Old Kingdom of Norway | 1333–1401 CE |
| Kalmar Union | 1402–1525 CE |
| House of Oldenburg | 1450–1458 CE |
| Swedish Empire | 1612–1814 CE |
| United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway | 1815–1904 CE |
Historical Maps of Västra Götaland
Västra Götaland on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Västra Götaland
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Göteborg | 537,797 | Västra Götaland | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Borås | 65,008 | Västra Götaland | Populated place |
| 3 | Trollhättan | 44,543 | Västra Götaland | Populated place |
| 4 | Vannersborg | 21,835 | Västra Götaland | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Mariestad | 14,891 | Västra Götaland | Admin-1 capital |
Largest Lakes in Västra Götaland
5 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
Ports in Västra Götaland
13 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grebbestad | 53 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 2 | Hunnebostrand | 53 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 3 | Marstrand | 53 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 4 | Uddevalla | 49.4 m | Minor | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 5 | Falkenberg | 45.7 m | Minor | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 6 | Fjallbacka | 45.7 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 7 | Lysekil | 42.1 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | large vessels |
| 8 | Stromstad | 42.1 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | point_of_interest |
| 9 | Bovallstrand | 42.1 m | Very Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
| 10 | Brofjorden | 34.7 m | Small | Skagerrak & Kattegat | medium vessels |
The other 3 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Varberg · 34.7 m · Minor · Skagerrak & Kattegat · medium vessels
- Halmstad · 34.7 m · Small · Skagerrak & Kattegat · medium vessels
- Stenungsund · 31.1 m · Very Small · Skagerrak & Kattegat · medium vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Västra Götaland
2 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Carvings in Tanum | 1994 | Cultural | (i) (iii) (iv) |
| 2 | Grimeton VLF transmitter | 2004 | Cultural | (ii) (iv) |
Västra Götaland: Quick Answers
- Where is Västra Götaland?
- Västra Götaland is a first-level division of Sweden, in Europe. Its mapped cities centre on 58.1631° N, 12.6756° E.
- What is the largest city in Västra Götaland?
- Göteborg is the largest city mapped in Västra Götaland, with a metropolitan population of about 537,797.
- How many cities are in Västra Götaland?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Västra Götaland, with a combined metropolitan population of about 684,074. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Västra Götaland?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Västra Götaland is Vänern, at about 5,856 km².