GEOGRAPHY

Västerbotten is Sweden's second largest county by area, covering somewhat over an eighth of Sweden's total land area. It consists largely of forest, mountain and fell.
Topographically, the regions of the county can be divided into the plains bordering the northern part of the Gulf of Bothnia and en archipelago of sandy islands. The interior is characterised by terrain featuring mountains and hills interspersed by coniferous forest, mires and moors. The alpine areas have steep mountains and glaciers and low-lying vegetation limits.
The county's first town, Umeå was founded in 1588 but soon declined. Umeå was again made a town in 1622.