Östergötland

Östergötland ligt in de provincie Östergötaland en voor een klein stukje ook in de provincie Kalmar.

Östergötland behoort zowel wat cultuur als politiek betreft tot een van de oude kerngebieden van Zweden. De naam duidt er op dat het het oostelijke hoofddeel was van het land van de Goten.

Sverigeturism beschrijft Östergötland als volgt:
A concise description of Östergötland would be to say that the landscape is a miniature of Sweden. Even if the province reminds of other regions of Sweden, its nature is still genuine. The indigenous population like to claim that their province is a mixture of the best ingredients of the whole country.

The ground consists mainly of primitive rock, which during the glacial period slowly rose and formed the highlands in the southern and northern areas of the province. These wooded mountainsides surround the productive flatlands in the central part. In the west, the natural border is clearly marked off by the broken landscape and the coastline of the lake Vättern and in the east by the beautiful archipelago facing the Baltic Sea.

More than half of the area is covered with forests - pine and fir in the highlands, broad-leaf trees in the east and oak along with lime-trees on the coastline. On the fertile calcareous moraine clay of the flat land thrives a rich flora and you can find orchids and lilies. The animal life is rather rich as well with elks, fallow deer, polecats and moles.

The lake Tåkern is famous for hosting a wide range of breeding birds and in the cold, fresh water of Vättern live char and whitefish. "

Door Östergötland slingert de Östgötaleden. Het pad met een totale lengte van ongeveer 900 km.

Gemeentes in Östergötland

Boxholm
Finspång
Kinda
Linköping
Motala
Mjölby
Norrköping
Söderköping
Vadstena
Valdemarsvik
Ydre
Åtvidaberg
Ödeshög