Dalsland Canal
Dalsland Canal (Swedish: Dalslands kanal) is a Swedish canal which enables ships to sail between Lake Vänern and central parts of the Dalsland and southwestern Värmland lake districts. The canal runs across the well-known aqueduct at Håverud and is a much visited tourist attraction during the summer months, drawing yachts, motor boats as well as canoeists.
Geography
The canal system stretches from Köpmannebro on Lake Vänern via the Dalsland lakes of Råvarpen, Laxsjön, Lelång and continues into southwestern Värmland by means of the lakes of Foxen, Töck and finally reaches Lake Östen and its extension named Snäcke Canal. The lakes of Stora Le and both Västra Silen and Östra Silen are also deemed part of the canal system. A boat lift at Strandviken on Stora Le Nössemark enables ships to be loaded onto lorries to Halden in Norway and continue their journey down Idefjord and Svinesund to Skagerak. Stora Le is situated 66 m (217 ft) above Lake Vänern. Thirty-one locks help to span this drop. 17 metres of head space along the route enables sail boats to ply the entire length of the canal, in contrast to many other canals in Sweden. However, it pays to note that only 1.8 m (6 ft) of draught and a maximum length of 22.75 m and width of 4.05 m are allowed. Maximum speed on the canal is set at 2.5 knots.
Dalsland
Dalsland is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and Norway to the northwest.
The province has a low population density of around 14 inhabitants/km² and just one town of significant size: Åmål. The total population numbers 50,527. The uninhabited areas are characterized by dense forests in the northwestern uplands and lakes in the east, giving rise to the epithet, commonly used for Dalsland, of "Sweden's lake province".
The Latinized name Dalia, which was often used to name Dalsland in older prints, can still sometimes be encountered.
Administration
The traditional provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. Dalsland formed the northern part of the administrative county Älvsborg County until 1998 when the present Västra Götaland County was formed. A very small part of the province, Dalboredden, is in Värmland County.
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