Västra Götaland County was formed on 1 January 1998 through the amalgamation of Gothenburg and the counties of Bohus, Skaraborg and Älvsborg.
Topographically, the regions of the county can be divided into the West Coast with its open landscape, archipelago, exposed rocks, deciduous forest, heather moors and coastal forests; and the shorelines forests of Bohus with archipelago, pine and oak forests in agricultural areas. Further in from the coast, there are hilly areas of coniferous forest and deciduous forest with prominent ridges and fault valleys. The interior is characterised by central plains of cultivated land, mountain plateaux and deciduous forest. The county's largest town, Gothenburg, was founded in 1619