Blazon: "gules a griffin with dragon wings, tail and tongue rampant or armed, beaked, langued and membered azure between four roses argent."

In the southern part of the province, the terrain becomes marked by the south Swedish highlands, with hills and countless lakes.

Some of the more notable islands are Korsö, Gränsö, Arkö, Djursö, Yxnö, Finnö, Emtö, Fångö and Stora Ålö.

Traditionally, the region is divided into two halves, east and west of the river Stångån (Östanstång and Västanstång respectively),[3] which flows from the south into Lake Roxen at Linköping.

The eastern part of Göta Canal traverses the province from the Baltic Sea at Mem to Lake Vättern at Motala.

The earliest mention of Östergötland (the Ostrogoths of Scandza) appears in the Getica by the Goth scholar Jordanes.

Östergötland belonged to the Christian heartland of the late Iron Age and early medieval Sweden.

[4][5] Local lore from Lake Sommen in southern Östergötland tells that a cow-beast called Urkon or Sommakoa will kill any crowned king that visits the district of Ydre.

The dialects are still used in rural areas, but in the cities, the Standard Swedish is spoken with a certain Östgöta accent.

Löfstad Castle has its origin in the early 17th century, having belonged to the von Fersen family.

Övralid Manor was the last home of Nobel Prize laureate Verner von Heidenstam 1925–40.