Everything about Lapland Sweden totally explained
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.
Administration
The traditional
provinces of Sweden serves no administrative or political purposes, but are cultural and historical entities. Administratively Lapland constitutes the western part of two
counties of Sweden,
Norrbotten County in the north and
Västerbotten County in the south. In contrast to most other areas of Sweden there's more of an identification with the
counties rather than to
provinces. Thus, most people in these counties refer to the entire county, including the areas in Lapland, when they say 'Norrbotten' or 'Västerbotten'.
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
Kiruna Municipality,
Gällivare Municipality,
Jokkmokk Municipality and
Arjeplog Municipality.
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 ducal 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."
Geography
Parts of Lappland have been named a
UNESCO World heritage site, the
Laponian area.
National parks
History
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
nomadic Sami people, but the region became inxcreasingly settled by Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian settlers, especially along the coasts and large rivers. From the Middle ages on, the Swedish kings tried hard to colonize and Christianize the area using settlers from what is now Finland and southern Sweden. Today, despite large-scale assimilation into the dominant Swedish culture, Finnish and Sami minorities continue to maintain their cultures and identities.
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.
Culture
Culture of the Sami people
The conservative Lutheran Laestadian movement is prominent in the region
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lapland Sweden'.
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