110 FOREIGN TRADE ZONES

by commerce and seafaring men at a very early date. The Gota
River, deriving its waters from Sweden as well as from Norway,
flows through the vast Lake Vanern and, after its decent at the
Trollhattan falls, glides slowly through fertile plains to mingle with
the waters of the North Sea. Traders in days past were quick to
grasp the advantages that this highway offered. Its outlet was protected
 by a rocky archipelago, the country through which it flowed
was capable of profitable cultivation, and the sea and lakes were well
stocked with fish and the forests with game. Excavations and researches
 are said to prove that 10,000 years ago the land was occupied
 by men. Coming down to the middle ages one finds that
repeated attempts were made to establish a town and trading port
at Lodose, a few miles up the river from Gothenburg. Neighboring
States, however, perceiving the advantages enjoyed by such a seaport
town and fearing that much of their own commerce should be diverted,
attacked and destroyed Lodose repeatedly until, during the war of
1611, it was burnt, never to be built up again. At the commencement
 of the seventeenth century King Carl IX founded a town on
the site of the present city of Gothenburg, but it shared the fate of
Lodose. Gustavus Adolphus, however, perceived that Sweden would
ever depend on the outlet of the Gota River, and therefore he devoted
his energy to the founding of what is now the city and port of Gothenburg
 and one of the commercial centers of northern Europe, which
attracts shipping not only from Scandinavia, but from many other
countries.
Description.—The city of Gothenburg has a population of 233,245,
and, as stated, is situated at the outlet of the Gota River in latitude
57° 42’ 4’' N., longitude 11° 57” 54’’ E., about 42 nautical miles east
of the Skaw (the northern point of Denmark). The harbor is sheltered
 from the sea by a rocky archipelago, but can be entered by
almost any vessel. The principal entrance from the sea is past the
Vinga Lighthouse, erected on the most western island of the archipelago
 outside Gothenburg, and about 10 nautical miles from the port.
There is no material rise or fall of the tide, and vessels can enter any
time of the day. Unlike many other northern ports, Gothenburg is
seldom affected by ice, and in the event that ice should accumulate
there are icebreakers available to keep the port open for traffic. As
a result of the situation of the town and its harbor, Gothenburg is well
suited to serve as a center for the collection and distribution of goods,
not only from and to the wealthy interior of Sweden, but to other
nearby countries as well. With the political and industrial peace
which prevailed in Sweden for some years after the World War, in
conjunction with the economical stability which the country enjoys,
the city of Gothenburg felt fully justified in pressing forward the construction
 of the free port, and after many vears of thorough investi