Padjelanta ( sv, Padjelanta nationalpark) is a
national park in
Norrbotten County in northern
Sweden. Established in 1963, it is the largest national park in Sweden with an area of , and part of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
Laponia established in 1996.
Etymology and the presence of the Sámi people
The name of the park derives from the
Lule Sami Lule may refer to:
* Lule people, an indigenous people of northern Argentina
* Lule language, a possibly extinct language of Argentina
* Lule Sami language, a language spoken in Sweden and Norway
* Luleå, also known as Lule, a town in Sweden
* ...
word ''Badjelánnda'', which translates to ''the higher land'' – a straightforward description of the region. Today the three
Sámi villages Duorbun,
Jåhkågasska and
Sirges let their
reindeer
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...
graze in Padjelanta in the summer, using the traditional settlements of
Stáloluokta,
Árasluokta and
Sállohávrre. The National Park contains
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
rock carvings.
Nature
The park, which borders on
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
in the west, is primarily comprised by a vast plateau around the two unusually large lakes
Vastenjávrre and
Virihávrre – the latter of which is often referred to as ''"the most beautiful lake in Sweden"''. Consequently, the landscape is fairly flat and open, especially compared to the alpine
Sarek National Park on its eastern border, and mainly consists of rolling hills with few peaks of the higher variety.
Plants
Most of the park is situated above the
tree line
The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...
; meaning few species of trees can survive the harsh climate of the park. The exposure of strong winds and the cold winters has made it so that the only tree that can exist in any relevant numbers is the small and robust ''
Betula pubescens
''Betula pubescens'' (syn. ''Betula alba''), commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern Asia ...
'' subsp. ''tortuosa'' (mountain birch). These form a small forest of 1,400 hectares or 3,500 acres) in the northeast corner of the park.
The diversity of the flora is extremely high, nonetheless: over 400 different
lower plant
Non-vascular plants are plants without a vascular system consisting of xylem and phloem. Instead, they may possess simpler tissues that have specialized functions for the internal transport of water.
Non-vascular plants include two distantly rel ...
(
thallophyte
Thallophytes (Thallophyta, Thallophyto or Thallobionta) are a polyphyletic group of non-motile organisms traditionally described as "thalloid plants", "relatively simple plants" or "lower plants". They form a division of kingdom Plantae that inc ...
s) species have been cataloged in the area, which reportedly is a record in the Swedish
fell
A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...
s (highlands). This is due to its western position and chalk-rich
bedrock. Some of these species, such as ''
Arenaria humifusa'' and ''
Gentiana aurea'', can only be found in the Swedish fell regions and ''
Potentilla robbinsiana'' is a plant that, in Europe, has only ever been found in Padjelanta.
Animals
Padjelelanta hosts a very limited number of
mammals, with a low variety of different species, almost all of which have small populations. The mammals that do exist are mostly
lemming
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae) together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also includ ...
s and
reindeer
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...
, as well as the predators that eat them; in this case the
wolverine
The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...
and the
Arctic fox
The Arctic fox (''Vulpes lagopus''), also known as the white fox, polar fox, or snow fox, is a small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. It is well adapted to living in ...
, respectively, both being permanently resident in the park.
Padjelanta's bird-life however is very rich and showcases most species associated with the Swedish bare mountain fell – and fell lake regions.
The most typical species on the
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...
are
European golden plover
The European golden plover (''Pluvialis apricaria''), also known as the European golden-plover, Eurasian golden plover, or just the golden plover within Europe, is a largish plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers: the America ...
,
meadow pipit
The meadow pipit (''Anthus pratensis'') is a small passerine bird, which breeds in much of the Palearctic, from southeastern Greenland and Iceland east to just east of the Ural Mountains in Russia, and south to central France and Romania; an isol ...
and
northern wheatear
The northern wheatear or wheatear (''Oenanthe oenanthe'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It is th ...
but
rock ptarmigan
The rock ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the ''aqiggiq'' (ᐊᕿ ...
,
Eurasian dotterel
The Eurasian dotterel (''Charadrius morinellus''), also known in Europe as just dotterel, is a small wader in the plover family of birds.
The dotterel is a brown and black streaked bird with a broad white eye-stripe and an orange-red chest ban ...
and
Eurasian whimbrel are also fairly common sights.
In and around the lakes there are plenty of
Anatinae
The Anatinae are a subfamily of the family Anatidae (swans, geese and ducks). Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving. The other members of the Anatinae are the extinct moa-nalo, a you ...
, such as
long-tailed duck
The long-tailed duck (''Clangula hyemalis''), formerly known as oldsquaw, is a medium-sized sea duck that breeds in the tundra and taiga regions of the arctic and winters along the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is th ...
,
Eurasian teal
The Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca''), common teal, or Eurasian green-winged teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in temperate Eurosiberia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being th ...
and
common scoter
The common scoter (''Melanitta nigra'') is a large sea duck, in length, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic east to the Olenyok River. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''melas'', "black", and ''netta'', "du ...
as well as many
wader
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
s, which include
red-necked phalarope
The red-necked phalarope (''Phalaropus lobatus''), also known as the northern phalarope and hyperborean phalarope, is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a ...
,
ruff
Ruff may refer to:
Places
*Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community
*Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community
Other uses
*Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader fami ...
,
Temminck's stint
Temminck's stint (''Calidris temminckii'') is a small wader. This bird's common name and Latin binomial commemorate the Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''kalidris'' or ''skalidris'', a term used by ...
and
common redshank
The common redshank or simply redshank (''Tringa totanus'') is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.
Taxonomy
The common redshank was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ...
.
The northeast forest is also home to a great variety of species and contains an abundance of
common redpoll
The common redpoll or mealy redpoll (''Acanthis flammea'') is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs.
Taxonomy
The common redpoll was listed in 1 ...
,
willow warbler
The willow warbler (''Phylloscopus trochilus'') is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strong ...
,
Lapland longspur
The Lapland longspur (''Calcarius lapponicus''), also known as the Lapland bunting, is a passerine bird in the longspur family Calcariidae, a group separated by most modern authors from the Fringillidae (Old World finches).
Etymology
The Engli ...
,
bluethroat
The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae. It, and similar small Europea ...
and
redwing
The redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush.
Taxonomy and systematics
This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in h ...
.
Then there are also many birds that are not really constricted to one area but is spread throughout the park. This include
lesser white-fronted goose
The lesser white-fronted goose (''Anser erythropus'') is a goose closely related to the larger white-fronted goose (''A. albifrons''). It breeds in the northernmost Palearctic, but it is a scarce breeder in Europe. There is a re-introduction sc ...
,
gyrfalcon
The gyrfalcon ( or ) (), the largest of the falcon species, is a bird of prey. The abbreviation gyr is also used. It breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra, and the islands of northern North America and the Eurosiberian region. It is mainly a resid ...
,
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...
,
white-tailed eagle
The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diurnal raptors ...
,
great snipe,
rough-legged buzzard
The rough-legged buzzard or rough-legged hawk (''Buteo lagopus'') is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Russia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It ...
and
long-tailed jaeger
The long-tailed skua or long-tailed jaeger (''Stercorarius longicaudus'') is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae.
Etymology
The word "jaeger" is derived from the German word ''Jäger'', meaning "hunter". The English word "skua" comes fr ...
. During lemming-years you can even see the
snowy owl
The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding m ...
which is otherwise rare seen in Padjelanta.
The park also contains a rich quantity of fish,
Vastenjávrre and
Virihávrre being especially densely populated.
History
Padjelanta, due to its flourishing meadows and fish filled lakes has long been attractive to humans and the park has been inhabited ever since the
Stone Age (one evidence of this being the many
trapping pit
Trapping pits are deep pits dug into the ground, or built from stone, in order to trap animals.
European rock drawings and cave paintings reveal that red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') and elk/moose (''Alces alces'') were hunted since the Stone Ag ...
s that have been found and dated back to this period of time). Even today the lakes are utilized for fishing by the
Sámi villages.
Ever since the birth of modern science the area has also been interesting for scientists, mainly for studying its
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...
,
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...
and
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...
.
Tourism
There is a well-known hiking trail called Padjelantaleden (Padjelanta Trail) that runs between
Kvikkjokk in the southeast and either
Vaisaluokta or
Änonjalme beneath
Áhkká
Áhkká (, ), is a massif in the southwestern corner of Stora Sjöfallet National Park in northern Sweden.
The massif has twelve individual peaks and ten glaciers, of which ''Stortoppen'' is the highest at . This peak is the eighth-highest in ...
in the north, and is about 140 km in length. All these endpoints lie outside the borders of the park, which means that hikers must travel for at least a day before entering Padjelanta itself, but in the summer there are also regular helicopter tours between Kvikkjokk, Stáloluokta and
Ritsem.
Along this trail there are a number of cottage sites providing accommodation for visitors. Originally, the tourist buildings within the park proper were managed by the
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, but they have since passed into the care of the aforementioned Sámi villages, under the name ''Badjelánnda Laponia Turism'' (BLT). The other cottages on the trail are maintained by the
Swedish Tourist Association (STF). In Stáloluokta there is a
sauna
A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...
, and during the tourist season visitors can also buy provisions there.
Note that Padjelantaleden is a summer trail, so there are no markings visible when the land is covered in snow. Neither are the cottages manned in winter, but there is always at least one room open at all the cottage sites.
Another hiking trail called
Nordkalottruta also passes through the park, although its path is the same as that of Padjelantaleden most of the way.
Another point of interest is that the Swedish
center of inaccessibility (i.e. the point where one is at a maximum distance from civilization) lies in Padjelanta. It is reported that at the southeastern bay of the lake
Rissájávrre close to the border of Sarek,
[Grundsten, C: "Vandra Kungsleden och andra färdvägar. 2", page 74. Svenska Turistföreningen, 1991] it is approximately . in either direction to the closest road. The isolation of this spot is, however, partially an illusion, since the much-trodden Padjelantaleden and specifically the ''Tuottar'' cottage site are actually less than . away.
Notes
References
External links
Sweden's National Parks: Padjelanta National Parkfrom the
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Badjelánnda Laponia TurismInformation about the cottage sites in the park (Swedish/German)
Norbottensfjällenfrom the County Administration of Norrbotten
{{authority control
National parks of Sweden
Geography of Norrbotten County
Protected areas established in 1962
1962 establishments in Sweden
Tourist attractions in Norrbotten County
Lapland (Sweden)