Lapland, Sweden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also: Lappmarken

Lapland (Swedish: Lappland) is a province in northernmost Sweden. It borders to Jämtland, Ångermanland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten, Norway and Finland. About a quarter of Sweden's surface area is in Lapland.

Lapland originally extended eastward. However, in 1809 Russia annexed the eastern part of the Swedish realm, and created the Grand Duchy of Finland, which in effect split Lapland into a Swedish part and a Finnish part, both of which still exist today.

**Lappland**
The provinces of Sweden with Lappland highlighted
	Land	Norrland
	Main corresponding county	Norrbotten County, Västerbotten County
	Area	109,702 km²
	Flower	Mountain avens
	Animal	Arctic fox

1 Geography
2 History
3 Government
- 3.1 Municipalities and towns
- 3.2 National parks
4 Culture
5 Heraldry
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Parts of Lappland have been named a UNESCO World heritage site, the Laponian area.

[edit] History

Main article: Lappmarken

The history of Lappland is in many ways connected to the history of Norrbotten County and Västerbotten County, since Lappland is a historic region connected to these counties. During the middle ages, Norrbotten/Lappland was basically a no man's land. The area was sparsely populated by Sami people. In the southern part of Lappland, Swedish and Norwegian settlers lived, side by side with the Sami population. From the Middle ages on, the Swedish kings tried hard to colonize and Christianize the area. But it took time - even today, Finnish and Sami minorities live in the area and have maintained their culture and customs.

During the industrialization of Sweden, natural resources (hydroelectricity, timber and minerals) from Lappland and surrounding provinces played a key role. Still, mining, forestry and hydroelectric power are the backbone of the local economy, together with municipal services. The unemployment has however been relatively high for several decades and many young people leave for the larger cities by the coast or in southern Sweden.

[edit] Government

The Swedish Lapland serves no administrative purpose. It is divided between the Norrbotten County in the north and Västerbotten County in the south. Most people in these counties refer to the entire county, including the areas in Lapland, when they say 'Norrbotten' or 'Västerbotten'. The reasons are practical and historical. Along with other names, "Lappland" is also used.

Citizens of Sami descent are eligible to stand and vote in elections for the Swedish Sami Parliament, which is the case with Sami people elsewhere in Sweden as well. Sami language has an official minority status in municipalities Kiruna, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Arjeplog.

[edit] Municipalities and towns

In Norrbotten County:

In Västerbotten County:

[edit] National parks

[edit] Culture

Culture of the Sami people
The conservative Lutheran Laestadian movement is prominent in the region

[edit] Heraldry

Lapland itself was never considered a duchy but on January 18, 1884 the Privy Council gave all Provinces the right of use to a dukal coronet for their arms. Blazon Swedish version: "Argent, a Wildman stantant Gules wrapped with birch leaves Vert on the head and around the waist holding a Club Or in dexter over the shoulder."