What are the Counties of Sweden?

Sweden is divided into 21 counties (län). Each has a County Administrative Board appointed by the national government, which oversees state matters such as environmental protection and civil defence, and an elected regional council responsible mainly for healthcare and public transport. The county system was introduced in 1634 by the Instrument of Government, a constitutional reform led by Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna, replacing the older provinces (landskap) as administrative units. The number of counties has changed several times since then. The most recent changes came in the late 1990s, when Malmöhus and Kristianstad merged to form Skåne in 1997, and three western counties merged to form Västra Götaland in 1998.