Lapland (Finland)
| Lapland Lapin maakunta Lapplands landskap |
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| Coordinates: 67°N 026°E / 67°N 26°ECoordinates: 67°N 026°E / 67°N 26°E | ||
| Country | Finland | |
| Capital | Rovaniemi | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 98,984 km2 (38,218 sq mi) | |
| Population (2012) | ||
| • Total | 182,885 | |
| • Density | 1.8/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 region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland 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, and Murmansk Oblast in Russia.
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History[edit]
- For history: geography and culture see: Laponia, Österbotten and Västerbotten
The area of Lapland was split between two counties of the Swedish Realm from 1634 to 1809. The Northern and Western areas were part of Västerbotten County, while the Southern areas were part of Ostrobothnia County (after 1755 Oulu County). The Northern and Western areas were transferred in 1809 to Oulu County, which became Oulu Province. 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 Province was separated from Oulu Province in 1938.
During the Interim Peace and beginning of the Continuation War the government of Finland allowed the German Army to station itself in Lapland as a part of Operation Barbarossa. After Finland made a separate peace with Soviet Union in 1944, the Soviet Union demanded that Finland expel the German army from her soil. The result was the Lapland War, during which almost the whole civilian population of Lapland was evacuated. The Germans used scorched earth tactics in Lapland, before they withdraw to Norway. 40 to 47% of dwellings in Lapland were destroyed totally, 417 km of railroads were destroyed and 9,500 km of roadways were mined, destroyed or were unusable, 675 bridges and 3,700 km of telephone lines were destroyed. 90% of Rovaniemi, capital of Lapland, was burned to the ground, with only few a pre-war buildings surviving the destruction.
After the Second World War, Petsamo municipality and part of Salla municipality were ceded to the Soviet Union. The decades following the war were a period of rebuilding, industrialization and fast economic growth. Large hydroelectric plants and mines were established and cities, roads and bridges were rebuilt from the destruction of the war. In the late 20th century the economy of Lapland started to decline, mines and factories turned more unprofitable and the population started to decline rapidly across most of the region.
The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010, but Lapland was reorganised as one of the new regions that replaced them.[1]
Population[edit]
Lapland is the home of about 3.4% 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), Tornio, and Kemi. In 2011, Lapland had a population of 183,484 of whom 177,950 spoke Finnish, 1,526 spoke Sami, 387 spoke Swedish and 3,467 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.
Lapland's population has been in decline since 1990.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 169,211 |
| 1955 | 189,176 |
| 1960 | 208,788 |
| 1965 | 221,162 |
| 1970 | 197,429 |
| 1975 | 195,131 |
| 1980 | 196,288 |
| 1985 | 200,571 |
| 1990 | 201,652 |
| 1995 | 200,579 |
| 2000 | 189,288 |
| 2005 | 184,935 |
| 2010 | 183,484 |
| 2012 | 182,885 |
Regional Council[edit]
The 21 municipalities of Lapland are organised into a single Region, where they cooperate in the Lapland Regional Council, Lapin liitto or Lapplands förbund.
Politics[edit]
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%
Sami Domicile Area[edit]
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.
Municipalities[edit]
| Municipality | Population (2012) |
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| Rovaniemi | 60,888 |
| Tornio | 22,489 |
| Kemi | 22,262 |
| Sodankylä | 8,832 |
| Keminmaa | 8,591 |
| Kemijärvi | 8,101 |
| Inari | 6,739 |
| Kittilä | 6,381 |
| Ylitornio | 4,560 |
| Ranua | 4,227 |
| Salla | 3,983 |
| Kolari | 3,852 |
| Pello | 3,822 |
| Posio | 3,740 |
| Simo | 3,431 |
| Tervola | 3,339 |
| Muonio | 2,395 |
| Enontekiö | 1,878 |
| Utsjoki | 1,286 |
| Savukoski | 1,129 |
| Pelkosenniemi | 960 |
| Total | 182,885 |
Heraldry[edit]
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.
Lapland impact on Finnish numismatics[edit]
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.
Gallery[edit]
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Riisitunturi National Park in southern Lapland is renowned for its crown snow trees
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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 World War II (Sodankylä)
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Enontekiö Church, a typical after-World War II-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-Osthrobothnian 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, divided only by a river, 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
Notes[edit]
- ^ "New regional administration model abolishes provinces in 2010". Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. Sanoma Corporation. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ Statistics Finland – Statistical databases
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
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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 Wikivoyage- 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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