Halland County is a
countyThe Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...
(
länLän and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
) on the western coast of
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of
Halland' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
. The capital is
HalmstadHalmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
.
It borders the counties of
Västra GötalandVästra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...
,
JönköpingJönköping County is a county or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The capital is Jönköping.- Provinces :...
,
KronobergKronoberg County is a County or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar and Blekinge. Its capital is the city Växjö.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Småland...
,
SkåneSkåne County is the southernmost administrative county or län, of Sweden, basically corresponding to the historical province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronoberg and Blekinge. The seat of residence for the Skåne Governor is the town of Malmö...
and the sea of the
KattegatThe Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
.
Heraldry
The County of Halland inherited its coat of arms from the province of Halland. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.
Province
Counties mainly serve administrative purposes in Sweden. The culture and history of the area is to be found in its provincial counterpart
Halland' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
. The county was designed with virtually the same boundaries as the province. The major exception is a part of
Hylte MunicipalityHylte Municipality is the only inland municipality of Halland County in southwest Sweden. The industrial town Hyltebruk is the seat of the municipality....
, which belongs to the province of
Småland' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
.
Administration
The main aim of the
County Administrative BoardA County Administrative Board is a Government appointed board of a County in Sweden. It is led by a Governor or Landshövding appointed for a term of six years and the list of succession, in most cases, stretches back to 1634 when the counties were created...
is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the
ParliamentThe Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
and the
GovernmentThe Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
, 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 AgencyThe Government agencies in Sweden are state controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the Swedish Government. The Government Ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to control agencies by policy decisions but not by direct...
headed by a Governor. See
List of Halland Governors.
Politics
Among the main responsibilities of the Halland County Council (
LandstingLandsting can mean*Thing - the supreme assembly of a land in Scandinavia, during Viking and mediaeval times*The Parliament of Greenland.*Landstinget - one of the two houses of the Danish parliament between 1849 and 1953...
et Halland) are public health care issues.
Municipalities
Sweden's counties are entities for
Sweden's municipalitiesThe municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
, responsible for such things as child care, education, street planning, etc. Municipalities in Halland County are, from north to south:
- Kungsbacka
Kungsbacka Municipality is a municipality in Halland County on the Swedish west coast, some 30 km south of Gothenburg. The municipal seat is located in the town Kungsbacka....
(69,352 inhabitants)
- Varberg
Varberg Municipality is a municipality in Halland County, in southwest Sweden. Its seat is in Varberg.It was formed in 1971 through the amalgamation of the City of Varberg and the surrounding rural municipalities...
(54,676)
- Falkenberg
Falkenberg Municipality is a municipality in Halland County on the Swedish west coast. The town Falkenberg is the municipal seat....
(39,595)
- Hylte
Hylte Municipality is the only inland municipality of Halland County in southwest Sweden. The industrial town Hyltebruk is the seat of the municipality....
(10,377)
- Halmstad
Halmstad Municipality is a municipality in Halland County on the Swedish west coast, in which the city Halmstad is the seat....
(87,900)
- Laholm
Laholm Municipality is a municipality in Halland County in southwest Sweden. The seat is located in Laholm.The amalgamation process during the local government reform in the 1970s took place in two steps...
(23,039)
(Population as of June 30, 2005)
Localities in order of size
The five most populous localities of Halland County as defined by
Statistics Sweden 2005:
| # | Locality | Population |
| 1 |
HalmstadHalmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
|
55 688 |
| 2 |
Varberg Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
|
26 041 |
| 3 |
FalkenbergFalkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 18,972 inhabitants in 2005.The town has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain...
|
18 972 |
| 4 |
KungsbackaKungsbacka is a locality and the seat of Kungsbacka Municipality in Halland County, Sweden, with 17,784 inhabitants in 2005.It is one of the most affluent parts of Sweden, in part due to its simultaneous proximity to stunning countryside and the large city of Gothenburg..-History:The first records...
|
17 784 |
| 5 |
OnsalaOnsala is a locality situated in Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 11,375 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the biggest peninsula in Sweden, south of Gothenburg....
|
11 375 |
Future
There is an investigation committee appointed by the government, investigating the best future division and responsibitites of the counties of Sweden, called Ansvarskommittén. They are working long-term, but their preliminary reports suggest a large reduction of the number of counties in Sweden. Halland county is there proposed to be divided in two halves, both to be combined with neighbouring large counties.
External links