Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands is a small country in the North Atlantic Ocean north of the United Kingdom and west of Norway. It is a nation of islands, and just like Åland, this country is not independent but only have autonomy, under danish soveregnithy.

The capital of Faroe Islands is Tórshavn with a population of 17 000 inhabitants.

The country is very rocky with alot of mountains, there is no deep forests on the islands. The official language is faroese and danish cause of its relationship to the mainland Denmark. Faroese is closely related to icelandic but also norwegian, this three languages is all the west-scandinavian languages.

Faroe Islands was since medival times under the rule of Norway, just like Iceland and Greenland at that time, but after the danish-swedish war, Norway came under swedish rule and Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland remained under the danish crown.

Åland

Åland, a small country of islands in the middle of the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. Åland dont have their own independence but stand under the governement of Helsingfors, Finland.

Åland, like Finland was a part of Sweden once, but after a great war with Russia, the entire eastern part of the kingdom was fallen into russian rule, including Åland. Åland belonged thereafter under the Grand Duchy of Finland under the russian tsar. After the russian revolution Finland was independent and when the finnish nationalism started to grow, an opposite development was in Åland were the people wanted to belong to Sweden. This resulted in autonomy of Åland and an international demilitarized zone were either Finland nor Sweden or any other nation had rights to have army.

And even today Åland keep this autonomy, and in the present no big thoughts about independence is going on.

The capital of Åland is Mariehamn and reside on the biggest island.

Municipalities around Gislaved

Värnamo

Värnamo municipality is south east of Gislaved. The municipality of Värnamo has the same size of population like Gislaved (Gislaved 29 000, Värnamo 32 000), but the town of Värnamo is almost twice the population of Gislaved town, with 18 000 inhabitants. While Gislaved is an industrial town with factories, Värnamo is more focused in shops and is considered Jönköpings län's southern market town. The downtown is well developed with alot of shops and shoppings. Värnamo also have a big hospital, the largest in the län outside Jönköping.

Gnosjö

This is one of the smaller municipalities in the country with its 9600 inhabitants, while Gnosjö town has 4000 citizens. Gnosjö doesnt have many things by them self ad are very dependent on Gislaved but also Värnamo. Many students in Gnosjö municipality go to study somewhere in Gislaved. Many things are limited, and its questioned if Gnosjö should continue to exist as a municipality, if this day come it will be a part of Gislaved. The only reason why the munucipality survived so long is cause of the rich industry and economy.

Jönköping

Jönköping municipality is the biggest in the län, and its here were the ruling residential city is placed, Jönköping. It is the 10:th largest municipality in Sweden with its 123 700 inhabitants, the city of Jönköping has a population of 84 000 citizens. Jönköping is placed on the banks of the lake Vättern. Jönköping is a rich market city and also industrial. It has good city busses and have some shopping centers, not to forget A6.

Photos of Gislaved town

Kulturhuset Borgen (Borgen, the house of culture)

The duck pound in Dalen, part of river Nissan

A house in Dalen

The man on the flying carpet, Smålandia (its my bike under the carpet)

The man's goat, its placed behind the man

Swedbank and Clocktower on the other side of the town park

The Townhall (Gislaveds Kommunhus)

Hotell Nissastigen

The town park close to the townhall

The town park

Gislaved

Gislaved

Gislaved is a municipality in Jönköpings län in the western part in the province of Småland. The municipality have 8 towns, the largest and dominant is Gislaved itself, but exept Gislaved there is the other seven towns, these are Anderstorp, Smålandsstenar, Reftele, Hestra, Burseryd, Broaryd and Skeppshult.

100 years ago the dominant village in the area was Anderstorp, Gislaved didnt exist and was only a forested area with farms and houses. There existed small villages, Henja and Gyllenfors (wich today is only districts in Gislaved town). But one day in the beginning of the 1900-century a factory creating gummi was created between the villages of Gyllenfors and the early Gislaved. The town expanded and Gyllenfors soon dissapeared inside Gislaved. The town expanded alot in 100 years and resluted that in the municipality-reform in the 1970:ies the municipality of Anderstorp, Reftele, Smålandsstenar and Hestra all dissapeared under the municipality of Gislaved, cause now, Gislaved was the dominant town wich its rich industry.

What to see in this area in Gislaved and around is not much, but just north outside Hestra there actually is a very popular tourist spot, specially among danes and germans, this place is called Isaberg, a small mountain with about 300 meters height wick is a ski-resort in winter, and camping site in the summer. In Båraryd, a small village (not a town) in the west have a lake were bathing is popular in summer among the locals.

Blekinge

Blekinge is a coastal province in southernmost Sweden. The province is located south of Småland and is identical to Blekinge län, were the provincial capital is Karlskrona. Blekinge was, just like Skåne and Halland a part of Denmark long time ago but is today a part in Sweden. The town of Ystad have good ferrie-connections with Poland were most trips to this country have its gate here. Blekinge have 150 000 inhabitants.

Dalarna

Dalarna is a province in western Svealand, its a very known province and is fameous for many things and have a big toursit industry. The län in this region is Dalarnas län and the residential city is Falun.

It is from Dalarna were the classic Dalecarlian Horse (Dalahästen) is created, specially around the legendary lake Siljan were the small city Mora is located. Mora is also fameous for its grand church and that its in Mora the goal for the "Vasaloppet" is placed that traditionally is every winter. Other fameous places in Dalarna is Idre, the mountaineous region in norhern Dalarna.

There is also a place around Älvdalen were the people speak their own unique language that only exist here, "älvdalska" or the elfdalian language. Even if the english name for the language is "elfdalian" it dont have anything to do with elfs. Even if elf means "alv" or "älva" in swedish, "älv" also reffers for rivers that flow in mountaineous regions wich is common up here, Älvdalen means "River Valley".