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Laponia
Overview
Laponia is a national park system of 9,400 km2 (3,600 sq mi) and a UNESCO World Heritage site in Norrbotten County, in the Lappland province in northern Sweden.
Wikivoyage guide · 20 sections
▸Introduction160 chars
Laponia is a national park system of 9,400 km2 (3,600 sq mi) and a UNESCO World Heritage site in Norrbotten County, in the Lappland province in northern Sweden.
▸Understand1,011 chars
Laponia is the Latinized form of Lappland. The area is shared between Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Arjeplog municipalities, near the border to Norway. Most of the area is wilderness, although since ages inhabited by Sámi, who continue traditional livelihoods in the area, such as reindeer husbandry and fishing.
The heritage site consists of the four national parks Sarek, Stora Sjöfallet, Muddus and Padjelanta, the nature reserves Sjaunja and Stubba and other areas at Sulitelma, Tjuoltadalen and Rapadalen.
1 Laponia Visitor centre (Naturum) (Viedásnjárgga at Stora Sjöfallet; turn from E45 a little north of Porjus, then drive 92 km; bus from Gällivare 16 Jun–24 Sep), ☏ +46 973 220-20, naturum@laponia.nu. March–September. Exhibition, café, shop, guided tours, films, activities for children, trails in the surroundings (with guiding W,Sa) (updated Apr 2017)
1 Badjelánnda Laponia Turism, Storgatan 40, Jokkmokk, ☏ +46 70 281-30-03 (difficult to reach in summer), padjelanta@padjelanta.com. (updated Mar 2018)
▸History115 chars
The area became a UNESCO world heritage site 1996. Most of the area had some kind of protected status much earlier.
Facts
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Source
WBP almanac
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From Wikipedia379 words
Introduction
Wildlife area in the Lapland province in northern Sweden Laponian AreaUNESCO World Heritage SiteAn example of the naturesque wildernessInteractive map of Laponian AreaLocationLapland, SwedenIncludesStora Sjöfallet National Park, Stubba nature reserve, Padjelanta National Park, Sarek National Park, Sjaunja Nature Reserve, Muddus National ParkCriteriaCultural and Natural: (iii), (vii), (viii), (ix), (v)Reference774Inscription1996 (20th Session)Area940,900 ha (3,633 sq mi)Coordinates67°20′N 17°35′E / 67.333°N 17.583°E / 67.333; 17.583LaponiaLocation of Laponia in Sweden Laponia, or the Laponian Area, is a large mountainous wildlife area in the Lapland province in northern Sweden, more precisely in Gällivare Municipality, Arjeplog Municipality and Jokkmokk Municipality. The name comes from the Latin name for Lapland. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996; the bulk of it had enjoyed protected status since the early 20th century. The area was made a heritage site for both natural and cultural reasons. The total area is about 9,400 square kilometres (3,600 sq mi), making it the world's largest unmodified nature area to be still cultured by natives—the natives in this case being the reindeer-herding Sami people. Only parts of the area is actually used for pasture by them. With such a large space, the geography of the area varies greatly; it is dominated by mountains, rivers and lakes. Each nature reserve and national park has its distinctive features. The amount of snow in winter and rain in summer is considerable. Overview of Laponia. From left to right: Padjelanta, Sarek, Stora Sjöfallet, Sjaunja, Stubba and Muddus. 95% of the area is protected as national parks or nature reserves. It consists of the national parks Muddus, Sarek, Padjelanta and Stora Sjöfallet, and the nature reserves Sjaunja and Stubba. The remaining 5% are located in the areas of Sulitelma, Tjuoltadalen, and Rapadalen (part of which is in the Sarek park). The village of Porjus is a natural point of entry to the Laponian area and has recently opened an information center. The Laponia area also contains three major hydropower stations with belonging basins and a big expansion of 100 wind power stations inside the world heritage area is planned. The highest mountain of the area is Sarektjåhkkå, at 2,089 metres (6,854 ft).