Lapland (Finland)
| Lapland Lapin maakunta Lapplands landskap |
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| Coordinates: 67°N 26°E / 67°N 026°ECoordinates: 67°N 26°E / 67°N 026°E | |||
| Country | Finland | ||
| Capital | Rovaniemi | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 98,984 km2 (38,217.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2009) | |||
| • Total | 184,000 | ||
| • Density | 1.9/km2 (4.8/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | LL | ||
| NUTS | |||
| Website | lapinliitto.fi | ||
Lapland (Finnish: Lappi; Northern Sami: Lappi; Swedish: Lappland) is the largest and northernmost of the regions of Finland. The municipalities in the province cooperate in a Regional Council. It borders the Region of North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders the Gulf of Bothnia, Norrbotten County in Sweden, Finnmark County and Troms County in Norway as well as Murmansk Oblast in Russia.
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[edit] Historical provinces
- For history, geography and culture see: Laponia, Österbotten and Västerbotten
Lapland was separated from Oulu Province in 1936. After the Second World War, the Petsamo and Salla areas were ceded to the Soviet Union. Under the royalist constitution of Finland during the first half of 1918, Lapland was to become a Grand Principality and part of the inheritance of the proposed king of Finland.
Lapland was one of the provinces of Finland, until the provinces were abolished on January 1, 2010.[1]
[edit] Population
Lapland is the home of about 3.6% of Finland's population, and is by far the least densely populated area in the country. The biggest towns in Lapland are Rovaniemi (the regional capital), Kemi, and Tornio. In 2009, Lapland had a population of 183,748 of whom 179,070 spoke Finnish, 1,473 spoke Sami, 338 spoke Swedish and 2,867 spoke some other languages as their mother language.[2] Of the Sami languages Northern Sami, Inari Sami and Skolt Sami are spoken in the region.
[edit] Administration
The State Provincial Office was a joint regional authority of seven different ministries. It promoted national and regional objectives of the State central administration.
[edit] Regional Council
The 21 municipalities of Lapland are organised into a single Region, where they cooperate in the Lapland Regional Council, Lapin liitto or Lapplands förbund.
[edit] Politics
Results of the Finnish parliamentary election, 2011 in Lapland:
- Centre Party 32.2%
- True Finns 20.5%
- Left Alliance 16.7%
- National Coalition Party 12.5%
- Social Democratic Party 11.8%
- Green League 3.4%
- Christian Democrats 1.6%
- Swedish People's Party 0.4%
[edit] Sami Domicile Area
The northernmost municipalities of Lapland where the Sami people are the most numerous, form the Sami Domicile Area. Sami organization exists in parallel with the provincial one.
[edit] Municipalities
(Cities and towns are marked with bold.)
[edit] Heraldry
The Regional Council of Lapland uses the Finnish variation of the coat of arms for Laponia. The coat of arms for the Province of Lapland was composed out of the coats of arms of Laponia and Ostrobothnia.
[edit] Lapland impact on Finnish numismatics
Most of the gold used to mint Finnish gold coins comes from Lapland. Lapland itself has been the main motif for a recent commemorative coin, the Finish First Finnish gold euro commemorative coin, minted in 2002. On the reverse side, the midnight sun above a lake in Lapland can be observed.
[edit] Gallery
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Saana fell in Enontekiö with Lake Kilpisjärvi in northwesternmost Finland; one of the most recognized landscapes in Finland
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A traditional Lapponian timber house in Siida museum
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Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, during wintertime
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Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi; tourism is crucial to Lapland's economy
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Sámi people celebrating Easter
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River Torne near Tornio town
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Flag of Sámi
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Levi, a ski resort in Kittilä
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Lapland was burnt down almost totally in WWII (Sodankylä)
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Enontekiö Church, a typical after-WWII-erected church
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Reindeer in Enontekiö
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Utsjoki Church and church cabins; the northernmost church in Finland
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Tornio Town Hall
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Wilderness in Enontekiö
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A view towards Lake Inari
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A general view of Kemi town centre with Bothnian Bay in the background
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Pallastunturi Fell in Muonio in wintertime twilight
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Pielpajärvi Wilderness Church from 1760 managed to avoid getting burnt in WWII
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Kemijärvi town centre
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A kettle in Salla, one of the largest in the world
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A bilingual (Finnish and Sámi) street sign
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A view from Saana fell
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Architecture in Kemi
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Keminmaa Church
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Lake Iso-Vietonen, Ylitornio
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River Kevo in Utsjoki
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Sami boots in a museum in Rovaniemi
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An old gold mine in Inari
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Lake Livojärvi, Posio
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Kolari Railway Station, the northernmost in Finland
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Pihtsusköngäs Waterfall, Enontekiö
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Lappia House in Rovaniemi, a culture venue designed by Alvar Aalto
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Ranua Church
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Isokuru Canyon, Pelkosenniemi
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Traditional North-Osthrobotrian house in Tornio
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Lake Peltojärvi in Inari
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A view from Haparanda, Sweden to Tornio; the two towns are located so close that they're called a twin-town
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A view from the annual Snow Castle in Kemi
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A Sámi shaman drum mask
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A polar bear in Ranua; though in a zoo
[edit] Notes
- ^ "New regional administration model abolishes provinces in 2010". Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. Sanoma Corporation. 31 December 2009. http://www.hs.fi/english/article/New+regional+administration+model+abolishes+provinces+in+2010/1135251815296. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ Statistics Finland – Statistical databases
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lapland, Finland |
- Lapland Regional Council – Official site
- Lapland State Provincial Office – Official site
- Lapland Finland Portal – The Official Travel Guide of Finnish Lapland
- Lapland Club
- Finnish Lapland travel guide from Wikitravel
- Lapland Travel Guide – Information about holidays in Lapland
- Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences – video portal – Videos about Lapland experiences and lifestyle.
- Levi-Lapland – Information on Lapland, the ski resorts and the Lapland Super Pass.
- Travel 2 Lapland – Huge list of travel information: map, blogs, forums, tourist attractions, tourism services etc.
| Regional flower - Finnish - Latin |
Globe-flower - Kullero - Trollius europaeus |
| Regional bird | Bluethroat |
| Regional fish | Salmon |
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