Uppland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Land | Svealand |
| Counties | Uppsala County Stockholm County |
| Area | |
• Total | 12,813 km2 (4,947 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023)[1] | |
• Total | 1,757,151 |
| • Density | 137.14/km2 (355.19/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Languages | Uppländska Stockholmska |
| Culture | |
| • Flower | Leper lily |
| • Animal | White-tailed eagle |
| • Bird | — |
| • Fish | Aspius |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Uppland is a historicalprovince orlandskap on the eastern coast ofSweden, just north ofStockholm, the capital. It bordersSödermanland,Västmanland andGästrikland. It is also bounded by lakeMälaren and theBaltic Sea.
The name literally meansup land, a name which is commonly encountered in especially older English literature asUpland. Its Latinised form, which is occasionally used, isUplandia.[2]
Uppland is often called the province of "castles, ancient remains and runestones" and is famous for having the highest concentration ofrunestones in the world, with as many as 1,196 inscriptions in stone left by theVikings, many of whom came fromRoslagen on the coast of Uppland. Many of its castles and places of historical interest includeDrottningholm Palace,Skokloster Castle,Salsta Castle, the medievalUppsala Cathedral, where many royals are buried, andUppsala Castle.
Famous people from Uppland or who lived in Uppland includeIngmar Bergman, St. Bridget of Sweden,Carl Linnaeus,Anders Celsius andGustav Vasa.
It has Sweden's oldest town,Sigtuna, thought to have been established around AD 980 andUppsala University, Sweden's oldest university.
The traditionalprovinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. The corresponding administrativecounty, orlän, isUppsala County, which occupies the larger part of the territory. The bulk of the population, however, is withinStockholm County. Minor parts of the province are also inVästmanland,Gävleborg, andSödermanland Counties.
Uppland's arms were granted in 1560, distinctive in its depiction of aglobus cruciger. Historically, Uppland ranked as aduchy and the coat of arms is represented with a ducalcoronet,blazoned thus:"Gules, a Royal Orb Or gemmed of the field and Azure with the cross bottoned Argent." Despite the fact that the Uppsala County has a different name and a smaller territory, it was granted the same coat of arms in 1940.
Uppland was historically divided intochartered cities and districts. WithinRoslagen they were calledskeppslag (which roughly means "ship district"), and in the rest of the provincehundreds. The abovementioned districts and cities have no administrative function today.
On the small uninhabited island ofMärket in the Baltic, Uppland has a very short and unusually shaped land border withÅland, an autonomous province ofFinland.
The population of Uppland was 1,602,652 as of 31 December 2016. The provincial population corresponds to the different overlapping counties as follows:[1]
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Stockholm County, partly | 1,240,191 |
| Uppsala County, entirely | 361,373 |
| Västmanland County, partly | 1,088 |
The earliest unambiguous mention of the province of Uppland comes from the year 1296, when it was mentioned that it included theFolklands ofFjärdhundraland,Attundaland,Tiundaland andRoslagen. The Swedish capital of Stockholm is divided between two provinces. The southern half lies in Södermanland and the northern half in Uppland.
Uppsala is the seat of the onlyarchbishop of the LutheranChurch of Sweden. Before theProtestant Reformation, the archdiocese and archbishop were within theRoman Catholic Church.
The archaeological siteBirka and the castle ofDrottningholm areUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.
Football in the province is administered byUpplands Fotbollförbund.Bandy is also popular, withIK Sirius as the major sports club.
60°N18°E / 60°N 18°E /60; 18
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