Södermanland County


Södermanland County is a county or län on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is usually shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is the dominant pronunciation and spelling inside the county. For example, the name of the local regional council is Region Sörmland. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic Sea. It holds the popular camping route called "Sörmlandsleden" which is a system of trails covering a total of approximately 100 mil of walking paths, in Södermanland.
It is an administrative unit, covering most of the province Södermanland. The eastern parts of the Södermanland province, largely corresponding to the Södertörn area, belong to Stockholm County. As a result of this longstanding divide, only areas inside the county are usually considered as Sörmlandic as opposed to a part of the extended Stockholm metropolitan area.

Geography and climate

Södermanland runs between the lake Mälaren to the north and the Baltic Sea to its east and south. There is a large distance between the two main urban areas Eskilstuna and Nyköping of roughly, and vast forested areas in between. The centre of Södermanland is spread out between four municipality seats namely Vingåker, Katrineholm, Flen and Gnesta that separate the southern and northern areas of the county. Most parts are low-lying being part of the Mälar valley, but some higher areas can be found.
The climate much like other parts of southern Sweden is a mix between oceanic and moderated continental. Summers highs are most often around, lows around and winter highs around with lows around. It can heavily fluctuate between different years with influences from different weather systems. Most often winters are still pronounced enough for the climate to be a clear four-season climate.

Politics

Region Sörmland is the name of the regional council of Södermanland, the county's self-governing local authority.
As of 2019, the local government constellation consists of the Social Democrats, Vård för Pengarna and the Centre Party. The coalition holds a majority in the regional council with 42 seats out of 71 total.

2018 election results

Municipalities

This is a list of Södermanland's urban areas or tätorter.
PositionPlaceMunicipalityPopulation
1EskilstunaEskilstuna69,816
2NyköpingNyköping32,957
3KatrineholmKatrineholm24,271
4SträngnäsSträngnäs14,265
5OxelösundOxelösund11,488
6TorshällaEskilstuna9,275
7FlenFlen6,636
8TrosaTrosa6,260
9GnestaGnesta6,248
10SkiftingeEskilstuna5,104
11VingåkerVingåker4,768
12ArnöNyköping4,259
13MariefredSträngnäs4,132
14VagnhäradTrosa3,632
15HällbybrunnEskilstuna3,288
16Åkers styckebrukSträngnäs3,017
17AbborrbergetSträngnäs2,542
18MalmköpingFlen2,246
19StigtomtaNyköping1,942
20StallarholmenSträngnäs1,759
21HälleforsnäsFlen1,673
22VallaKatrineholm1,453
23ÄrlaEskilstuna1,286
24SvalstaNyköping1,107
25KjulaåsEskilstuna956
26SundbyholmEskilstuna927
27HållstaEskilstuna877
28TystbergaNyköping866
29BjörnlundaGnesta832
30BergshammarNyköping814
31SparreholmFlen750
32NävekvarnNyköping743
33HögsjöVingåker680
34SköldingeKatrineholm651
35VrenaNyköping644
36JönåkerNyköping608
37HällbergaEskilstuna607
38StjärnhovGnesta577
39MarielundSträngnäs574
40ForssjöKatrineholm538
41BieKatrineholm521
42HäradSträngnäs509
43MellösaFlen499
44BaggetorpVingåker476
45SjösaNyköping471
46BjörkvikKatrineholm461
47Björktorp and SandaSträngnäs460
48EnstabergaNyköping439
49Kullersta, Kolsta and HenstaEskilstuna416
50AlbergaEskilstuna406
51SundTrosa406
52BettnaFlen397
53MerlännaSträngnäs395
54MarmorbynVingåker372
55VästerljungTrosa362
56StrångsjöKatrineholm350
57TumboEskilstuna350
58ÄsköpingKatrineholm338
59ÖbolandetTrosa327
60UddenEskilstuna326
61Husby and TunaSträngnäs273
62KalkuddenSträngnäs269
63OrrhammarFlen250
64LäppeVingåker249
65RuntunaNyköping248
66ÅlbergaNyköping234
67KvegeröNyköping229
68Skeppsvik and SjöskogenNyköping224
69InskogenOxelösund223
70BälgvikenEskilstuna222
71StavsjöNyköping215
72SkebokvarnFlen209
73BuskhyttanNyköping201

Heraldry

Södermanland County inherited its coat of arms from the province of Södermanland. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.

History

The province of Södermanland was divided into three counties in the 17th century; Nyköping County, Gripsholm County and Eskilstunahus County. They were merged into present day Södermanland County in 1683.