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| Lapland |
Sápmi (also known as Sapmi, Sameland, Saamiland and even Lapland) is the name of the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sami people. Sápmi is located in Northern Europe and includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia. It spans over four countries: Finland, Norway, Russia and Sweden.
With the fall of the Soviet Union and increasing internationalization, co-operation across borders is becoming more important and existing county and national borders less important both for the Sami aboriginal population and the non-Sami population. The majority of the population of this region is non-Sami. The Sami make up only a small minority.
The common English spelling for the region is Lapland. But in official Sami contexts the Northern Sami word Sápmi is often used, also in English. In Norway and Sweden the region may also be called Sameland or Samiland.
In historical texts the Swedish name "Lappland", the Swedish name Lappmarken, the Norwegian name Finnmark, and the Sami Sabme have also been used. Finnmark is based on the same Germanic word "finn" which today is used about Finns and in earlier times also about the Sami people. Sabme is the old spelling for Sápmi.
The area covered by Sápmi lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle. The western portion is an area of fjords, deep valleys, glaciers, and mountains, the highest point being Mount Kebnekaise, in Swedish Lapland. Farther east, the terrain is that of a low plateau, containing many marshes and lakes, the largest and most important of which is Lake Inari, in Finnish Lapland. The extreme eastern section lies within the tundra region.
The climate is subarctic and vegetation is sparse, except in the densely forested southern portion. The mountainous west coast has significantly milder winters and more precipitation than the large areas east of the mountain chain. Sápmi contains valuable mineral deposits, particularly iron ore in Sweden, copper in Norway, and nickel and apatite in Russia. Reindeer, wolf, bear, and sea and land birds are the main forms of animal life. Sea and river fisheries abound in the region. Steamers are operated on some of the lakes, and many ports are ice-free throughout the year.
