GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
Gothenburg is a city and municipality in the province Västergötland on the west-coast of Sweden. As of 2006, the population amounted to 490,000 in the actual city and 879,000 in the metropolitan area, making it the second largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm. Gothenburg is also a significant university city with Scandinavia's largest university in terms of number of students.
Situated where the Göta Älv discharges into the Kattegat, the river divides Gothenburg in two halves, with the upper part located on the island Hisingen. The inlet of Göta Älv is well suited for a harbor, and Gothenburg has expanded its port into becoming the largest among the Nordic countries.
The city was named after the Geats, an old tribe of southern Sweden, which today is famous from Beowulf in the English-speaking world. In Dutch, Scots, German and English- languages with a long history of being spoken in the trade and maritime-oriented city - the name Gothenburg (with varying pronunciations) was traditionally used for the city, while the French form of the city name is Gothembourg. These traditional forms are now sometimes replaced with the use of the Swedish form Göteborg, lit. Castle of Geats.
By its naturally advantageous location, Gothenburg houses the largest and most important harbour installation in Scandinavia. Trade and shipping have always been important businesses and in the 18th century, the city was the home to the Swedish East India Company. Industry developed into an important business, e.g., SKF, Volvo, and Ericsson.
Gothenburg has a rich music life - the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the best known when it comes to classical music. Bands like The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Ace of Base are well known pop representatives of the city. There is also an active indie scene.
The city is also noted for being the centre of the melodic death metal movement (sometimes even called "The Gothenburg sound"). Gothenburg metal is unique and distinct because of its very melodic and sometimes progressive guitar riffs and solos, and the clean singing that is incorporated (instead of just using the traditional death grunt vocals). Gothenburg's own At the Gates, Soilwork, In Flames, and Dark Tranquillity are credited with pioneering this melodic style. The Gothenburg metal has influenced numerous significant metal scenes across Europe and the rest of the world, including Finland, the United States, and Canada.
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