gøta

Göta is a Swedish toponym and historic term that appears in several place names and geographic features in southern Sweden. The word ultimately derives from Götaland, the homeland of the Geats (Götar) in medieval and early modern Swedish, and the form Göta is used as the adjectival or genitive variant in many compound names.

The most prominent uses are geographic. The Göta Canal (Göta kanal) is a major 19th-century inland waterway that connects Lake Vänern with the Baltic Sea. Running across southern Sweden, it links the Vänern and Östergötland regions and includes a system of locks and connecting waterways, making it a historic engineering achievement and a popular tourist route.

The Göta älv is a river that flows from Lake Vänern to the Kattegat at Gothenburg. It forms a central part of the Göta Canal system and has long been important for shipping and industry in western Sweden.

In modern usage, Göta remains a common element in names within the region known as Götaland, appearing in roads, districts and cultural institutions that reference the historic geography of Göta and Götaland.