Lapland (Finland)

For the province in Sweden, see Lapland (Sweden).
For the cultural region historically called "Lapland", see Sápmi.
For the former municipality, see Lappi, Finland.
Lapland
Lappi (Finnish)
Lappi (Northern Sami)
Lappi (Inari Sami)
Lappi (Skolt Sami)
Lappland (Swedish)
Region
Region of Lapland
Lapin maakunta (Finnish)
Lappi eanangoddi (Northern Sami)
Laapi eennâmkodde (Inari Sami)
Lappi mäddkåʹdd (Skolt Sami)
Landskapet Lappland (Swedish)
Coat of arms of Lapland
Coat of arms
Location of Lapland
Coordinates: 67°N 026°E / 67°N 26°E / 67; 26
CountryFinland
CapitalRovaniemi
Other townsKemi, Kemijärvi and Tornio
Area
 • Total
100,366 km2 (38,752 sq mi)
 • Land92,667 km2 (35,779 sq mi)
 • Water7,699 km2 (2,973 sq mi)
Population
 (2019-12-31)
 • Total
177,161
 • Density1.8/km2 (4.6/sq mi)
GDP
[1]
 • Total€6.348 billion (2015)
 • Per capita€35,014 (2015)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeFI-10
Websitelapinliitto.fi
Symbols
BirdBluethroat
FishSalmon
FlowerGlobe-flower
MammalReindeer
LakeLake Inari
MineralGold

Lapland[A] is the largest and northernmost region of Finland. The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the Finnish 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 and the Republic of Karelia in Russia. The topography of Lapland varies from vast mires and forests in the south to fells in the north. The Arctic Circle crosses Lapland, so polar phenomena such as the midnight sun and polar night can be viewed in this region.[2][3]

Lapland's cold and wintry climate, coupled with its relative abundance of conifer trees such as pines and spruces, means that it has become associated with Christmas in some countries, most notably the United Kingdom, and holidays to Lapland are common towards the end of the year. However, the Lapland region has developed its infrastructure for year-round tourism. For example, in 2019, tourism during the snow-free period grew more than in the winter season.[4] In recent years, Lapland has also become a major tourist destination for world-class celebrities as well as royalty.[5]

Rovaniemi is the main regional centre of Lapland, and the Rovaniemi Airport is the second busiest airport in Finland.[6] Besides tourism, other important sectors are trade, manufacturing and construction.[7][8] Like Rovaniemi, Inari is also one of the most important tourist destinations in Lapland for foreign tourism.[9][10]

Lapland has been connected with the legendary "North Pole" home of Santa Claus (Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas) since 1927, when Finnish radio host Markus Rautio said that Santa Claus lived on Korvatunturi, a fell (mountain) in the region. Later, Rovaniemi staked a claim as Santa's "official hometown" and developed the Santa Claus Village attraction to encourage tourism.[11]

  1. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Land of the Midnight Sun". VisitFinland.com. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  3. ^ "Polar Night - The most magical time of the year | Only in Lapland". House of Lapland. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  4. ^ "Infographic: 10 facts about tourism in Lapland 2019". House of Lapland. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  5. ^ "Kourtney Kardashian, Lionel Messi, Ed Sheeran… 15 international celebrities that have visited Finnish Lapland". Arctic Guesthouse & Igloos. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Traffic statistics | Finavia". www.finavia.fi. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  7. ^ "Infographic: Distribution of Lapland's Industry | Business Lapland". House of Lapland. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  8. ^ "Statistics and publications". www.lappi.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  9. ^ Tourism Inari – Saariselkä – Utsjoki – Ivalo - Discovering Finland
  10. ^ For travellers: Inari-Saariselkä tourism region - Inari.fi
  11. ^ Geiling, Natasha. "Where Does Santa Live? The North Pole Isn't Always the Answer". smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 28 March 2018.


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