The
counties of Sweden are the top-level geographic
subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is today divided into 21 counties; however, the numbers of counties has varied over time, due to territorial gains/losses and to divisions and/or mergers of existing counties. This level of administrative unit was first established in the
1634 Instrument of Government on
Lord Chancellor Count
Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, and superseded the historical
provinces of Sweden in order to introduce a more efficient administration of the realm. At that time, they were what the translation of
län into English literally means:
fiefdoms. The county borders often follow the provincial borders, but
the Crown often chose to make slight relocations to suit its purposes.