What is Jamtland? 
Jamtland is both a historical province (landskap) and a modern county (län) in the middle of Sweden and on the border of Norway. The modern county of Jämtland is larger in area than the traditional province, and includes the historical province of Harjedålen and the district Ravund (also called Ragunda). Today the county of Jämtland covers ca. 50,000 square km. The population is about 136.000. 

From the 1100's Jamtland and Härjedålen were a part of Norway, and later went with Norway into the union with Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway lost Jämtland to the Kingdom of Sweden in 1645, and the area has been under Sweden since. 

The Republic of Jamtland, or in full the United Republics of Jamtland, Herjeadålen and Ravund, has been proclaimed by the Liberation Movement and its quasi-militant faction the Jamtland Republican Army (JRA). The Republic and the Republican movement is far from as militant their names indicate. In fact, the movement and the Republic is closely associated with the Storsjöyran cultural festival ('Great Lake Dizzy festival'). The Republic is somewhat of a gimmick, though it also reflects deeper sentiments and channels regional protest. This protest surfaced first in the 1960's, with suggestions of administrative- territorial reforms that proposed to unite Jämtland with of Norrland and move the county capital from Ostersund in Jämtland. At the same time, more and more people moved southwards, and regions such as Jämtland experienced population losses. 

Notes about the flag
The flag of Jämtland was introduced in 1983, and is made up of three bands of blue, white and green with a seal on the white band. The proportions are about 2:3, judging from photographs. It was hoisted for the first time on 15. July 1983. The designers were Kent Backman, who came up with the idea of the colours in the three horizontal bands, and Bo Oscarsson, who suggested that the seal should be added. 

Originally, the symbolism related to nature of the region, blue representing the mountains, white the snow and green the forest. Later, the three colours have also been associated with the three units making up the Republic. In this interpretation, the blue is for the mountainous Jamtland, white is for the snow rich Harjeådalen, and green is for the forests of Ravund. The seal is in black, is the one given to Jämtland by the King of Norway late in the 1200's or in the early 1300's (the oldest surviving sample is from 1303). 

The seal features the Royal arms of Norway, the crowned lion holding an axe differenced by a border with nails or trefoils. Two men, half kneeling, supports the shield, and behind them are two hunters chasing squirrels (the province had to pay its taxes with the fur). Around the seal is an inscription reading "SIGILLUM COMMUNITATIS DE IEMTHALANDIA" (Seal of the Community of Jämtland). The seal was given to the province to emphasize that it was under the rule of Norway, and it is therefor somewhat ironic that such an emblem should be used by a movement seeking independence (not unification with Norway). However, the Jämts see the seal as a symbol of their historical origins and special status as a province. 

The flag has no official position, but it is in frequent use, also by local mayors and other representatives of the established order. 

Sources: 

•  The information about the flag is from: 

Eivind Torp: "Jämtlandsflaggan - ett uttryck for regional identitet?", in Fran falttog till folkfest: Nordiska flaggor, fanor och symboler, Uddevalla: Lacko Institut, 1993

• Some details about the seal are found in:

 Hallvard Tratteberg: "The Coat of Arms of Norway", American- Scandinavian Review, Vol 52, No. 2, 1964, pp. 134-146

A note on spelling

Texts by Jan Oskar Engene

Original URL: http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/se-jamt.html