'Northland', originally Norrlanden, meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces.

Although Norrland does not serve any administrative purposes, it continues to exist as a historical, cultural, and geographic region; it is often referred to in everyday language, e.g., in weather forecasts.

Plenty of long rivers originating in the mountains run through the Norrland forests, with major coastal towns frequently being on their estuaries.

The cold climate has led to winter sports being popular, with Norrland teams and athletes being especially successful in ice hockey, skiing and bandy.

[5][6] More in detail Norrland is made up of three north–south belts: the Scandinavian Mountains in the west, the Muddus Plains covering much of the inland, and the mixed relief[A] of the eastern coast.

[7] Unlike the much more densely populated Svealand and Götaland, which are better known for big cities (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö) with landmarks and tourist attractions, Norrland is known for its nature with wide forests, large rivers and untouched wilderness.

In older history and still today, the administration in Stockholm viewed Norrland essentially as a colony consisting of natural resources to be exploited.

In the mountain ranges the tundra climate can be found with summer temperatures averaging below 10 °C (50 °F), but that is due to altitude and not in populated areas.

Up to the Middle Ages, the northern part of Norrland (Norrbotten and Lappland) was sparsely populated by Sami, Kvens and different tribes/people related to the Finns.

The name can be first traced from Karl's Chronicle, explaining how Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson in 1433 sent a letter to Erik Puke requesting assistance to conquer entire Norrland (al norland vnte han honom wolla).

Additionally, Brynäs IF and IF Björklöven are also two popular teams from Norrland with long traditions in Swedish ice hockey who currently compete in the second highest league Hockeyallsvenskan.

Football is also popular in Norrland, but teams from the region have rarely been on the same competitive level as the big city clubs in southern Sweden.

However, teams such as GIF Sundsvall, Gefle IF and Östersunds FK have all in recent years played many seasons in Sweden's highest league, and the region has produced its share of famous footballers.

Gunnar Nordahl, Tomas Brolin, Jesper Blomqvist and Mikael Lustig are all footballers who grew up in Norrland, and went on to become Swedish internationals.

A mixed portrait of the region is found in As It Is in Heaven (2004), which "vividly conveys both the delights and the challenges of small town living.

He returns years later as an accomplished musician, only to find an insular town where bullying continues in several forms, including from the original classmates who troubled him as a youth.

The plot of the well-known thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo shifts back and forth between Stockholm and the fictional Norrland town of Hedestad.

The book's great success and translation into numerous languages made non-Swedish people more aware of Norrland and its special characteristics.