Lapland
Finnish Lapland is a place for those who wish to enjoy the peace and quiet of a remote area either in the comfort of first-class accommodation out in the wilds or in more primitive conditions. Lapland can offer gastronomic delights such as salmon and reindeer prepared in many ways, and the rare golden cloudberry. It is a very large area of 100,000 sq km (38,000 sq miles). Between the many rivers are vast uninhabited areas and swamps. In the valleys, pine and spruce grow, but the most northerly regions are treeless tundra or low-fell birch scrub. Many fells have gently rounded treeless tops. There are only four towns in the province: Rovaniemi (the provincial capital), Kemijrvi, Tornio and Kemi. The whole of the rest of Lapland is very sparsely populated with a density of only slightly over two persons per sq km. Of the 200,000 inhabitants, about 3900 are Lapps and 600 Skolt Lapps, the latter belonging to the Orthodox church. About 200,000 reindeer roam freely on the fells. They are the property of 5800 different owners. There are reindeer round-ups from September to January. Special reindeer-driving competitions take place in March with participants from all over Lapland.
As regards scenery and communications, Lapland can be roughly divided into two areas: Eastern and Western Lapland.
Suomutunturi, on the Arctic Circle, is a well-known winter sports centre, as are Pyhtunturi, Luostotunturi and Saariselk Fells. At Porttikoski and Simo, there are traditional lumberjack competitions in summer. Further north, Tankavaara is a gold-panning centre. Inari village lies on the third-largest lake in Finland, Lake Inari, with 3000 islands, on one of which stands an old Lapp sacrificial palace. The Sami Museum is devoted to the history of the Lapps. In the wilds lies Pielpajrvi Church. The River Lemmenjoki flows into Lake Inari and is another well-known gold-panning region. The Lemmenjoki National Park has marked routes for hikers.
The scenery differs from Eastern Lapland and the ground is higher. The fells rise in bare and impressive ranges. Among the best known are Yllstunturi, Olostunturi and Pallastunturi. All of them are winter sports centres but are attractive in other seasons and are especially popular among hikers. Haltia Fell, the highest in Finland, at 1300m (4265ft), and Saana Fell, 1029m (3376ft), lie on the border between Finland, Norway and Sweden. In the north is the Lapp village of Hetta, scene of colourful festivities on Lady Day in March.
Kemi, Kemijrvi, Rovaniemi and Tornio.
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