Botkyrka Municipality

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Botkyrka Municipality (Kommun)

Location of Botkyrka Municipality and Tumba in Stockholm County

Map outlining municipalities of Sweden
Coat of arms
Botkyrka City Arms
Municipal facts
Seat Tumba
59°12´ N 17°49´ E
County Stockholm County
Province Sudermannia
Area
     Rank
196.4 km²
251st of 290
Population
     Rank
(2005)
77,448
23rd of 290
Density 386/km²

Coordinates: 59°12´ N 17°49´ E

Botkyrka Municipality is a Swedish municipality in Stockholm County, in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is in Tumba.

Botkyrka church
Botkyrka church

The municipality is named after Saint Botvid, a Christian missionary during the 12th century. Saint Botvid is shown on the seal and coat of arms of Botkyrka, where he carries an axe and a fish. Another reminensce from Botkyrka's Christian medieval history is the Botkyrka church, made of stone.

Botkyrka, particularly Northern Botkyrka, has one of the highest percentages of first and second generation immigrants in Sweden. Nearly half the population has at least one parent born in another country. In some areas, like Fittja, 64.5% belong to this group, of which 25.7% is of a foreign nationality[1]. This gives the municipality a multi-cultural atmosphere with for example a big Syriac Orthodox Church in Hallunda and the construction of a mosque in progress in Fittja.

Politically the municipality is primarily Social Democratic. There is also a local party called Botkyrkapartiet (The Botkyrka Party) which was originally formed to prevent the exploitation of the small airfield, F18, in Tullinge to become a commercial airport in the 1980s.

The local weekly newspaper is called "Mitt i Botkyrka" and is delivered free of charge to all inhabitants.

The Swedish Hip Hop group The Latin Kings raps about the life in Botkyrka in several of their songs.

[edit] Urban areas of Botkyrka

[edit] References

  1. ^ Educational and statistics office Stockholm - Area statistics for Fittja.

[edit] External links


Stockholm County
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Counties of Sweden | Sweden