Gothenburg
Gothenburg (/ˈɡɒθənbɜːrɡ/ ⓘ; abbreviated Gbg; Swedish: Göteborg [jœtɛˈbɔrj] ⓘ) is the capital of Västra Götaland County in Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. It is situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, with a population of approximately 600,000 in the city proper and about 1.1 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area.
Gothenburg
Göteborg | |
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City | |
Clockwise, from top: Göta älv with Barken Viking to the left, Gunnebo House, Gothia Towers including Svenska Mässan, Elfsborg Fortress, Ullevi stadium, Gothenburg heritage tram, Poseidon at Götaplatsen, The Göteborg Opera | |
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Gothenburg Location within Västra Götaland Gothenburg Location within South Sweden Gothenburg Location within Sweden | |
| Coordinates: 57°42′27″N 11°58′03″E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Västergötland, Bohuslän and Halland |
| County | Västra Götaland County |
| Municipality | Gothenburg Municipality |
| Charter | 1621 |
| Area | |
| • City | 447.76 km2 (172.88 sq mi) |
| • Water | 14.5 km2 (5.6 sq mi) 3.2% |
| • Urban | 203.67 km2 (78.64 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,694.86 km2 (1,426.59 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2019) | |
| • City | 603,325 |
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 607,882 |
| • Metro | 1,077,128 |
| Demonym | Göteborgare/Gothenburger |
| GDP | |
| • Metro | €79.086 billion (2021) |
| • Per capita | €73,400 (2021) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 40xxx – 41xxx – 421xx – 427xx |
| Area code | (+46) 31 |
| Website | |
King Gustavus Adolphus founded Gothenburg by royal charter in 1621 as a heavily fortified, primarily Dutch, trading colony. In addition to the generous privileges given to his Dutch allies during the ongoing Thirty Years' War, e.g. tax relaxation, he also attracted significant numbers of his German and Scottish allies to populate his only town on the western coast; this trading status was furthered by the founding of the Swedish East India Company. At a key strategic location at the mouth of the Göta älv, where Scandinavia's largest drainage basin enters the sea, the Port of Gothenburg is now the largest port in the Nordic countries. The presence of the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology has led Gothenburg to become home to many students. Volvo was founded in Gothenburg in 1927, with both the original Volvo Group and the separate Volvo Car Corporation still headquartered on the island of Hisingen in the city. Other key companies in the area are AstraZeneca, Ericsson, and SKF.
Gothenburg is served by Göteborg Landvetter Airport 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the city centre. The smaller Göteborg City Airport, 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city centre, was closed to regular airline traffic in 2015. The city hosts the Gothia Cup, the world's largest youth football tournament, and the Göteborg Basketball Festival, Europe's largest youth basketball tournament, alongside some of the largest annual events in Scandinavia. The Gothenburg Film Festival, held in January since 1979, is the leading Scandinavian film festival and attracts over 155,000 visitors each year. In summer, a wide variety of music festivals are held in the city, including the popular Way Out West Festival.