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HISTORICAL LANDS , Svealand , Norrland ''' and ''' Österland '''. ''Götaland'' and '''Österland''' (literally ''Eastern lands'') is the old name for Finland , but today it only represents the southern and middle parts of Finland. ''Norrland'' (literally "Northern lands") is the name for the lands annexed as the realm expanded to the north on both sides of the Gulf Of Bothnia . Götaland and Svealand were in Sweden's Prehistoric Times known in folklore and legends, and fragmentary foreign sources, as rival kingdoms, before being united under one Crown by ''Svea'' kings. ''Österland,'' on the other hand, may possibly have had its own prehistoric kings, based on other sources. In the 11th and 12th centuries, ''Götaland'' and ''Svealand'' sporadically supported rival kings against each other, thus sometimes continuing these separated ancient kingdoms. Eventually the kingdoms were united as Sweden under one dominion (but the strife manytimes arose again in the beginning of next reign). By the time of the Treaty Of Stolbovo , 1617 , the significance of these particular ''lands of Sweden'' was chiefly historical and diffusely geographical. Thus the concept of ''Norrland'' could easily cover also the new territories in the North, colored green on the map. Similarly, but not quite as smothly, since the Treaty Of Roskilde of 1658 Denmark 's Scanian Lands have been considered as ''"Southern Götaland"'' by the Swedes. This notion is still in use, although some Danes and Scanians may deplore such usage as historically incorrect. After the Finnish War ( 1808 - 1809 ) the eastern half of Sweden was ceded to Russia , thus becoming the Imperial Russia n Grand Duchy Of Finland . ''Norrland'' was divided between these two states. The Swedish portion of Norrland still represents more than half of Sweden's territory; it remains, however, sparsely populated compared to the south and middle. The town of Stockholm , which became the Swedish capital mostly because it was centrally located in Sweden of its medieval boundaries (i.e. the brightest area on the map) now became situated at the eastern border. SEE ALSO
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