Halti ( fi, Halti, rarely Haltiatunturi, sme, Háldičohkka, sv, Haldefjäll) is a
fell at the border between
Norway and
Finland. The peak (elevation ) of the fell, called ''Ráisduattarháldi'', is in Norway, on the border between the municipalities of
Nordreisa
Nordreisa ( se, Ráisa ; fkv, Raisi) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storslett. Other villages include O ...
and
Gáivuotna–Kåfjord, about north of the border with Finland. The highest point of the fell on the Finnish side is at above sea level, and thus the highest point in the country. The Finnish side of Halti belongs to the municipality of
Enontekiö
Enontekiö (; sme, Eanodat ; sv, Enontekis; smn, Iänudâh; sms, Jeänõk) is a municipality in the Finnish part of Lapland with approx. inhabitants. It is situated in the outermost northwest of the country and occupies a large and very spars ...
in the province of
Lapland
Lapland may refer to:
Places
*Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia)
**Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region
*** Lapland (former pr ...
.
The highest point in Finland is on a spur of ''Ráisduattarháldi'' at known as ''Hálditšohkka'' at the border of Norway. The peak proper is not in Finland; the border marker is on a slope. The highest mountain whose peak is in Finland is
Ridnitšohkka
Ridnitšohkka ( se, Ritničohkka) is the second-highest point in Finland, though it is the highest mountain with its peak within Finland. The eastern face is steep while the western side is mild. While somewhat popular destination among off-piste ...
, at and a few kilometers from Halti.
The reason for the border being the way it is can be traced to a Swedish-Danish border treaty in 1734, when Norway belonged to Denmark and Finland was part of Sweden. The treaty specifies the border only by some of its biggest natural features like mountains. Thus, international boundary commissions would walk the border and place border markers where it was convenient. The actual border was then agreed to lie on a straight line between these markers, as was the usual practice at the time.
A trekking path leads from
Saana,
Kilpisjärvi to Halti. An easier route goes from a local road (open in summer only) going from
Birtavarre
Birtavarre ( sme, Gáivuonbahta; fkv, Pirttivaara) is a village in the municipality of Gáivuotna-Kåfjord-Kaivuono in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Kåfjordelva river ( sme, Gáivuoneatu) at the end of the ...
in Norway, around hiking to the highest point in Finland. The route is rocky and not really adapted to hiking.
Proposed border change
In 2015, a group of Norwegians began a campaign to give the peak of ''Hálditšohkka'' to Finland for its centenary in 2017 by moving the border between the two countries by .
The idea gained substantial public support in both countries, and in July 2016 it was reported that the Prime Minister of Norway,
Erna Solberg was seriously considering ceding the peak. Norway ultimately chose not to move the border, citing the
Norwegian constitution's definition of the country as an "indivisible and inalienable" realm.
[ ]
See also
*
Scandinavian Mountains
The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to the ...
*
Extreme points of Finland
*
List of highest points of European countries
*
Ernst Thälmann Island, gifted symbolically by
Cuba to
East Germany in 1972.
References
External links
"Hálditšohkka, Finland/Norway" on Peakbagger"Halti, Norway" on Peakbagger
{{authority control
Mountains of Finland
Mountains of Troms og Finnmark
Scandinavian Mountains
Enontekiö
International mountains of Europe
Finland–Norway border
Gáivuotna–Kåfjord
Landforms of Lapland (Finland)
One-thousanders of Finland
One-thousanders of Norway
Highest points of countries