Gotland

Gotland or Gottland, island, south-eastern Sweden, largest island in the Baltic Sea. It forms, together with the adjacent islets of Fårö, Karlsö, and Gotska Sandön, Gotland County. The greatest length of the island, from north to south, is about 130 km (80 mi), and the maximum width is about 56 km (35 mi); its area (including adjacent islets) is 3,140 sq km (1,212 sq mi). The surface is level, the soil fertile. A great part of the surface is forested, with arable land constituting about one-fifth of the total area. Sugar beet, rye, barley, wheat, and oats are the principal crops of the island. The only industries are fishing, sugar refining, and the manufacture of lime for cement. Visby, on the western coast, an important seaport of the island, is the capital of the county, whose population (1993 estimate, Gotland County) is 57,751.

Hoards of coins and other treasures found on the island indicate its importance in maritime trade as far back as the Bronze Age. Gotland was nominally Swedish as early as the 9th century but long remained autonomous. In the Middle Ages Visby was a rich and important member of the Hanseatic League and had many splendid churches and elaborate fortified walls. Gotland was conquered by Denmark in 1361 and returned to Swedish rule in 1645. Visby was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.