ScaniaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFor the vehicle manufacturer, see Scania AB. For other uses, see Skåne (disambiguation) and Scania (disambiguation).ScaniaSkåneFlag of ScaniaFlag Coat of arms of ScaniaCoat of armsSverigekarta-Landskap Skåne.svgCountry SwedenLand GötalandCounty Skåne CountyArea[1] • Total 10,939 km2 (4,224 sq mi)Population (31 December 2016[2]) • Total 1,322,193 • Density 120/km2 (310/sq mi)Ethnicity • Language Swedish • Dialect ScanianCulture • Flower Oxeye daisy • Animal Red deer • Bird Red kite • Fish EelTime zone CET (UTC+1) • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)Postal codes 20000-29999Area codes 040–046Scania, also known by its local name Skåne (pronounced [²skoːnɛ] (About this sound listen)), is the southernmost province (landskap) of Sweden which consists of a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian Peninsula and some islands close to it. Scania is roughly equivalent to the modern Skåne County (Skåne län). The responsibility for overseeing implementation of the Swedish government's policy in the county is administered by the County Administrative Board.[3] Within Scania, there are 33 municipalities that are independent and separate from the Scania Regional Council which has its seat in Kristianstad. Scania's largest city is Malmö, which is also the third largest in Sweden as a whole, as well as the fifth largest in Scandinavia.To the north, Scania borders the provinces of Halland and Småland, to the northeast Blekinge, to the east and south the Baltic Sea and Bornholm island, and to the west Øresund. Since 2000, a road and railway bridge, the Øresund Bridge,[4] bridges the sound to the Danish island of Amager. The HH Ferry route across the northern part of Øresund also remains as an important link between the Scandinavian Peninsula and Zealand. Scania is part of the transnational Øresund Region.[5]Scania was part of the kingdom of Denmark up until the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658.[6] The period 1658–1720 saw widespread violence by the Swedish military against the local population. The same was also true about the Danish military, though to a far lesser extent. The region did not become part of Sweden proper until 3 July 1720.[7][8] Between the initial Swedish conquest and this date, Scania had the same status as for instance Swedish Pomerania, territory owned by the Swedish Monarch.Until the early 19th century, a policy of forced assimilation was employed by the Swedish government in what until then had been a linguistically Danish region. Controversy about whether the Scanian dialects should be classified as a regional language or as Danish or Swedish dialects remains to this day.[9] All contact with relatives in Denmark was prohibited, Church services were only allowed in Swedish. All Danish literature was also banned within Scania (but not in Sweden) well into the 19th century. The people suffered by hunger followed by diseases. Executions of many at the same time for intimidate reasons were not rare. Charles XI even had plans of ethnic cleansing, in which the Scanian population should be moved to the Baltic states, due to their hostility. Instead "proper Swedes"​ should take their places, but this part of the Swedification process was never executed.[10] Also after 1720, locals have been exposed to dishonesty and military killings of civilians, like at the Klågerup riots in 1811.From north to south Scania is around 130 kilometres (81 miles) and covers less than 3% of Sweden's total area, but the population of over 1,320,000 (by end of year 2016)[11] represents 13% of the country's entire population. About 16% of Scania's population is foreign-born.[12] With 121 inh/km2 Scania is the second most densely populated province of Sweden, next only to Södermanland. The western part, along the coast of the Øresund, is by far the most populated part with a population density of close to 300 inh/km2.[13]