STF Hostel in Jokkmokk

Certainly, Norrbotten is fantastic! But is it a landscape or a county? The answer is that Norrbotten is actually both also! The county is the country's largest province, and about a quarter of Sweden's total land area. The county consists of landscape Norrbotten and the northern part of the landscape Lapland.

County is as big as Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg, but here are just 2.8% of the population. If the county had as many inhabitants per km2, as the European Union there would live 11 653 794 persons in the county! Now we are only 253 632 people. We live 2.8 persons per km2, compared with 21.8 in the rest of Sweden and 118.6 in the EU. So there is plenty of room.

In Norrbotten there are 14 municipalities, and most of the surface is Kiruna municipality. Jokkmokk is the second largest municipality, about as big as Skane, Blekinge and Halland together. With a population of just under 6000 we are in Jokkmokk municipality 0.3 people per km2.

In the county there is approximately 170 nature reserves, 47 bird protection and 8 national parks scattered across the county.

The provisions of the various reserves and parks may differ from each other. Total is about 25% of the county's surface area protected as national parks or nature reserves. In our area there are 3 national parks; Padjelanta which is the highest, Sarek and Stora Sjöfallet National Park. Sarek and Stora Sjöfallet established 1909 and Padjelanta 1962.

The coldest temperature measured in Kvikkjokk since records began in 1901 is -43.

Perhaps that is why so many in Norrbotten have computers at home, 79.2%. What else can you do than to sit inside when it is -43 outside. And when it comes to Internet at home, we are clearly at the top with 69.5%. Only Stockholm has more with 71.4%.

The midnight sun can be seen across almost the entire county in midsummer. In our area, it can be seen from about June 5-July 5, depending on where you are in our area.

In Norrbotten there are 32 sami villages, 15 mountain sami villages, 9 forest sami villages and 8 concession sami villages. In Jokkmokk municipality there are from the north Sirkat, Jåkkåkaska and Tuorpon sami villages. There is also Serri forest sami village.

During the winter the reindeer is down in the forest, sometimes as far down as on the islands in the archipelago of Luleå. During the summer they move up to the mountains. In Staloluokta lives members from Tuorpons Sameby. In Arasluokta from Jåkkåkaska and at Vastenjaure, in Vaisaluokta and Ännonjalme and at Kutjaure lives members from Sirkas sami village.

Sirkas sami village is Sweden's largest sami village, and there are totaly 51 villages in the country from Könkämä in the north to Idre in the south.