Småland, Sweden (Sverige) T-Shirt

Småland is an historical province (landskap) in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Many Small Lands. The geography is dominated by a forested high plain where the soil is mixed with sand and small boulders, making it barren in all except the coastal areas, and unsuited for agriculture except in certain locations, notably the Kalmar Plains. The province is rich in lakes and bogs. The coast consists of an archipelago of islands and bays in the north and cultivated flatlands in the south. During the 17th and early 18th centuries Sweden was a great power and Småland supplied excellent military formations for the armies of Swedish Kings Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII. In the 19th century, Småland was characterized by poverty, and had a substantial emigration to North America, which additionally hampered its development. The majority of emigrants ended up in Minnesota, with a geography resembling Sweden, combining arable land with forest and lakes. The well known company IKEA was founded in the Småland city of Älmhult.