Skåne County is the southernmost administrative
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...
or
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....
, 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....
, basically corresponding to the historical
provinceThe provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
ScaniaScania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
. It borders the counties of
HallandHalland County is a county on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad....
,
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...
and
BlekingeBlekinge County is a county or län in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne, Kronoberg, Kalmar and the Baltic Sea. The capital is Karlskrona...
. The seat of residence for the
Skåne Governor is the town of
MalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. The headquarters of Region Skåne is the town of
KristianstadKristianstad is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The city was founded in 1614 by King Christian IV of Denmark, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town of Vä...
.
The present county was created in 1997 when
Kristianstad CountyKristianstad County was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 1 January 1997 when it was merged with Malmöhus County to form Skåne County.The seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad.- List of Governors :...
and
Malmöhus CountyMalmöhus County was a county of Sweden until 1997 when it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County.It had been named after Malmöhus, the castle in Malmö, which also was where the Governor originally resided....
were merged.
Scania County covers around 3% of Sweden's total area, but its population of 1,200,000 comprises 13% of Sweden's total population.
Endonym and exonym
When the new county was established in 1997, it was decided to name it after the historical province, and it was given the name
Skåne län. The
counties of SwedenThe 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...
are districts of the central government and exonyms are seldom used for such units. The most common name used in English is
Skåne County. It is of course possible to use the exonyms
Scania County or
County of Scania if one prefers that.
Heraldry
The coat of arms for Skåne County is the same as for the province of Scania only with the
tincturesIn heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
reversed and the crown, beak and tongue of the
GriffinThe griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
in the same color. When the arms is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board, which is the regional presence of (royal) government authority. Blazon: "Gules, a Griffin's head erased Or, crowned and armed the same".
Provinces
Skåne County is the administrative equivalent of the
provinceA province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of
ScaniaScania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, but it also includes an insignificant part of the province
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:...
.
Administration
The seat of residence for the Governor or
Landshövding is the town of
MalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. 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 Skåne Governors.
The two former administrative counties of the province of Scania shown on the map,
Kristianstad CountyKristianstad County was a county of Sweden from 1719 to 1 January 1997 when it was merged with Malmöhus County to form Skåne County.The seat of residence for the Governor was in Kristianstad.- List of Governors :...
and
Malmöhus CountyMalmöhus County was a county of Sweden until 1997 when it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County.It had been named after Malmöhus, the castle in Malmö, which also was where the Governor originally resided....
, which were established in 1719 were merged together in 1997, forming the present county with boundaries that are almost identical to the boundaries of the province.
County council
Skåne Regional CouncilThe Skåne Regional Council is the County Council of Skåne County in Sweden.Region Skåne was created on January 1, 1999, by the amalgamation of the County councils of Malmöhus County and Kristianstad County and some of the tasks handled by Malmö Municipality.Its county assembly is the highest...
(
Region Skåne) is an evolved
County CouncilA county council, or landsting, is an elected assembly of a county in Sweden. A county council is a political entity, elected by the county electorate and typically its main responsibilities lie within the public health care system. In each county there is also a county administrative board which...
, which was established in 1999 when the County Councils of the former counties were amalgamated. Its main responsibilities are for the public healthcare system and public transport. In addition, it has for a trial period assumed certain tasks from the County Administrative Board.
Its county or regional assembly is the highest political body in the region and its members are elected by the electorate, as opposed to 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...
, that guards the national interests in the county under the chairmanship of the county governor (
landshövding in Swedish).
Municipalities
Skåne County is subdivided into 33
municipalitiesThe municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
(
kommuner in Swedish), the largest being
Malmö MunicipalityMalmö Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Malmö.When the first Swedish local government acts were implemented in 1863 the old City of Malmö was made one of the country's 88 city municipalities and the first city council was elected...
(280,000 inhabitants),
Helsingborg MunicipalityHelsingborg Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Helsingborg, which is Sweden's eighth largest city...
(124,000),
Lund MunicipalityLund Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County, southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Lund.As most municipalities in Sweden, the territory of Lund Municipality consists of a lot of former local government units, united in a series of amalgamations. The number of original...
(103,000 inhabitants) and
Kristianstad MunicipalityKristianstad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Kristianstad....
(75,000 inhabitants). The municipalities have municipal governments, similar to
city commissionsCity commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
, and are further divided into parishes. The parish division is traditionally used by the
Church of SwedenThe Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
, but also serves as a divisioning measure for Swedish census and elections.
- Bjuv
Bjuv Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Bjuv.The amalgamations connected to the 1971 local government reform in Sweden took place in this area in 1974, when "old" Bjuv was amalgamated with Billesholm and Ekeby.-History:The...
- Bromölla
Bromölla Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Bromölla.Bromölla was in 1967 reunited with Ivetofta...
- Burlöv
Burlöv Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden, just north of Malmö. Its seat is located in a part of Malmö urban area called Arlöv....
- Båstad
Båstad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Båstad.The present municipality was established in 1971 when the market town Båstad was amalgamated with the surrounding rural municipalities...
- Eslöv
Eslöv Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, situated in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Eslöv....
- Helsingborg
Helsingborg Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Helsingborg, which is Sweden's eighth largest city...
- Hässleholm
Hässleholm Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Hässleholm....
- Höganäs
Höganäs Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, in Skåne County in the southern part of the country. Its seat is located in the city of Höganäs....
- Hörby
Hörby Municipality is a municipality in the central part of Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Hörby.The present municipality consists of ten original entities merged to each other in 1952, 1969 and 1974....
- Höör
Höör Municipality is a municipality in the central part of Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Höör....
- Klippan
Klippan Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Klippan.The municipality was created in 1974 through the amalgamation of the market town Klippan with the rural municipality of Riseberga and part of Östra Ljungby.Söderåsen National Park...
|
- Kristianstad
Kristianstad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Kristianstad....
- Kävlinge
Kävlinge Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kävlinge.-Localities:...
- Landskrona
Landskrona Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Landskrona.The island of Ven was added to the City of Landskrona in 1959. The amalgamations leading to the present municipality took place in 1967, 1969 and 1974...
- Lomma
Lomma Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden, about 10 km north of Malmö. Its seat is located in Lomma....
- Lund
Lund Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County, southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Lund.As most municipalities in Sweden, the territory of Lund Municipality consists of a lot of former local government units, united in a series of amalgamations. The number of original...
- Malmö
Malmö Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Malmö.When the first Swedish local government acts were implemented in 1863 the old City of Malmö was made one of the country's 88 city municipalities and the first city council was elected...
- Osby
Osby Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Osby.The amalgamation during the 1970s' local government reform took place in the area on January 1, 1974, when the former market town Osby was merged with three adjacent rural...
- Perstorp
Perstorp Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Perstorp.Perstorp was made a market town in 1947. It was amalgamated with Oderljunga in the first of the two nation-wide local government reforms...
- Simrishamn
Simrishamn Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Simrishamn....
- Sjöbo
Sjöbo Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Sjöbo.The present municipality was created in 1974 when the former market town Sjöbo was amalgamated with the surrounding rural municipalities...
- Skurup
Skurup Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Skurup. It is considered part of Greater Malmö by Statistics Sweden....
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- Staffanstorp
Staffanstorp Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County, southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Staffanstorp. Uppåkra, the former location for the city of Lund, is located in the municipality....
- Svalöv
Svalöv Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Svalöv.The local government reform of 1952 grouped the 15 original entities into six larger municipalities...
- Svedala
Svedala Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden, just southeast of Malmö. Its seat is located in the town of Svedala....
- Tomelilla
Tomelilla Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Tomelilla.The municipality was formed through a series of amalgamations taking place in 1952, 1969 and 1971...
- Trelleborg
Trelleborg Municipality is the southernmost municipality of Sweden, in Skåne County. Its seat is located in the city Trelleborg....
- Vellinge
Vellinge Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Vellinge.The municipality is a result of the latest local government reform in Sweden...
- Ystad
Ystad Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Ystad.The present municipality was created in 1971 by the amalgamation of the former City of Ystad with four surrounding municipalities.-Localities:There are nine urban areas in Ystad...
- Åstorp
Åstorp Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Åstorp.In 1974 "old" Åstorp was amalgamated with Kvidinge to form the present municipality.-Localities:There are 3 urban areas in Åstorp Municipality.In the table they are...
- Ängelholm
Ängelholm Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Ängelholm....
- Örkelljunga
Örkelljunga Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Örkelljunga....
- Östra Göinge
Östra Göinge Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Broby....
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Electoral districts
The county is divided into four parliamentary constituences or
electoral districtAn electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
s, electing 45 of the 349 members of the
Riksdag, the
Parliament of SwedenThe 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...
. Each district is made up of one or more municipalities.
The
political parties are represented by the following number of MPs from Skåne County after the
Swedish general election, 2010A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main contenders of the election were the governing centre-right coalition the Alliance and the oppositional centre-left Red-Greens coalition A general election to the Riksdag, parliament of Sweden, was held on . The main...
:
- Moderate Party
The Moderate Party is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1904 as the General Electoral League by a group of conservatives in the Swedish parliament...
16
- Swedish Social Democratic Party
The Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party, , contesting elections as 'the Workers' Party – the Social Democrats' , or sometimes referred to just as 'the Social Democrats' and most commonly as Sossarna ; is the oldest and largest political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1889...
12
- Liberal People's Party
The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
4
- Green Party (Sweden)
4
- Sweden Democrats
The Sweden Democrats is a political party in Sweden, founded in 1988. SD describes itself as a nationalist movement although others use the term far-right. Since 2005, its party chairman is Jimmie Åkesson, while Björn Söder is the party secretary and parliamentary group leader. An Anemone...
4
- Centre Party (Sweden)
The Centre Party is a centrist political party in Sweden. The party maintains close ties to rural Sweden and describes itself as "a green social liberal party". The ideology is sometimes called agrarian, but in a European context, the Centre Party can perhaps best be characterized as social...
2
- Christian Democrats (Sweden)
The Christian Democrats ) is a political party in Sweden. The party was founded in 1964 but did not enter parliament until 1985 in an electoral cooperation with the Centre Party and on the Christian Democrats' own accord in 1991. The leader since April 3, 2004 is Göran Hägglund. He succeeded Alf...
2
- Left Party (Sweden)
The Left Party is a socialist and feminist political party in Sweden, from 1967 to 1990 known as the Left Party – The Communists .On welfare issues, the party opposes privatizations...
1
Localities in order of size
The ten most populous localities of Skåne County as defined by
Statistics Sweden 2005:
| # | Locality | Population |
| 1 |
MalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
|
258,020 |
| 2 |
HelsingborgHelsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
|
91 457 |
| 3 |
Lund-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
|
76 188 |
| 4 |
KristianstadKristianstad is a city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 35,711 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The city was founded in 1614 by King Christian IV of Denmark, the city's name literally means 'Town of Christian', as a planned city after the burning of the town of Vä...
|
33 083 |
| 5 |
Landskrona Landskrona is a locality and the seat of Landskrona Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 28,670 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Landskrona was founded at the location of Scania's best natural harbour, as a means of King Eric of Pomerania's anti-Hanseatic policy, intended to compete...
|
28 670 |
| 6 |
TrelleborgTrelleborg is a locality and the seat of Trelleborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 25,643 inhabitants in 2005. It is the southernmost town in Sweden.-History:...
|
25 643 |
| 7 |
Ängelholm Ängelholm is a locality and the seat of Ängelholm Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 22,532 inhabitants in 2005.It is known for its clay cuckoos — a special kind of ocarina. This is however a dying tradition as there is now only one producer of clay cuckoos, Sofia Nilsson.Tourism is an...
|
22 537 |
| 8 |
HässleholmHässleholm is a locality and the seat of Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 17,730 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:Hässleholm was gradually developed from 1860 in connection with the construction of the main Stockholm to Malmö railway line. There was no settlement on the spot before...
|
22 548 |
| 9 |
YstadYstad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
|
17 286 |
| 10 |
EslövEslöv is a city and the seat of Eslöv Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 16,551 inhabitants in 2005.Eslöv is part of the Øresund Region and is today largely serving as a suburb of Malmö and Lund.-History:...
|
16 551 |
Transport
The motorway built between Malmö and Lund in 1953 was the first
motorway in Sweden. With the opening of the
Oresund BridgeThe Øresund or Öresund Bridge is a combined twin-track railway and dual carriageway bridge-tunnel across the Øresund strait.The bridge connects Sweden and Denmark, and it is the longest road and rail bridge in Europe. The Øresund Bridge also connects two major Metropolitan Areas: those of the...
between
MalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
and
CopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe) in 2000, the Swedish motorways were linked with
European route E20The European route E 20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network.It runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The length is . The road is not continuous, at three points, a sea crossing is required. ...
in Denmark, and the two countries' railway systems were physically connected. Before the bridge was built there were
train ferriesA train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
operated between Helsingborg and Helsingør. There are also train ferries to and from
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Scania has three major public airports, Malmö Airport,
Ängelholm-Helsingborg Airport-History:A military airforce base was opened here in 1945. In 1960 civilian passenger flights started from this airport. In 2002 the airforce left the airport, and it became a civilian only airport. The line to Stockholm has always had the largest number of passengers.-External links:*...
and
Kristianstad AirportKristianstad Airport is situated outside Kristianstad in Scania, Sweden.-External links:* Kristianstad Airport Guide...
. One of the oldest airports in the world still in use is located in Scania, namely Ljungbyhed Airport, in operation since 1910. Starting in 1926, the
Swedish Air ForceThe Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
used the airport for flight training, and up until the military school was moved to the nearby Ängelholm F10 Wing in 1997,
the airport was extremely busy. In the late 1980s, it was Sweden's busiest airport, with a record high of more than 1,400 take-offs and landings per day.
The major ports of Scania are
TrelleborgTrelleborg is a locality and the seat of Trelleborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 25,643 inhabitants in 2005. It is the southernmost town in Sweden.-History:...
,
Copenhagen Malmö PortThe Copenhagen Malmö Port is the trans-national port authority for the cities of Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden....
and
HelsingborgHelsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
Harbour. Ferry connections across the
Baltic SeaThe Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
operate from several smaller ports as well.
External links