Recently, I had the opportunity to visit northern Finland for a few days. Here are a few thoughts about that trip.
About Lapland and the Sámi
The northernmost third of Finland is a region called Lappi in Finnish. Its English name is Lapland, however Lapland does not only refer to the northern part of Finland but the entire northern region of Norway, Sweden and Finland, often defined as the region of those countries that lies north of the arctic circle. Another region, which is sometimes treated as equal to Lapland is Sápmi, which is the region in northern Fennoscandia and parts of Russia which is traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people.
Historically, the Sámi people, being a minority people, have had some difficulties with people living and ruling over the same area. Some more information on issues of discrimination against the minority people can be found in the above linked Wikipedia article, but in short, the situation in Finland is that the Sámi have been recognized as a people but are still very little represented in Finnish politics. However, there is a Sámi parliament in Aanaar (Inari) which is officially recognized in Finland.
Nature in Lapland
Since Lapland is north of the arctic circle, climate conditions are adverse to life. At this point in the year, the sun does still not rise in most parts of Lapland and the region is covered in about 30 centimetres of snow. Because of the lack of sunlight and the cold during the winter, there is a very long period within the year in which plants cannot grow. This results in notably smaller trees, the farther north you go.
On the other hand, in summer, there is more sunlight available within each day which leads to a more pronounced growth period for plants. This can make plant research easier, since some effects can be seen more easily during this enhanced growth period. This is one reason why the University of Helsinki does plant research, even if in the Helsinki region, where this effect is already present, and not in Lapland.
It is even more impressive that despite these harsh conditions, there are still animals that live in Lapland, also during the winter. Two common ones, so common that road signs constantly warn drivers about the possibility of them crossing a road in the nowhere between two towns, are reindeer and elk.
To go on a slight tangent. I always knew that there often was some confusion between North Americans and Europeans when talking about moose and elk. However, after researching the specifics now, this topic is even more confusing than I first thought. What North Americans are referring to as a moose is Alces alces while what they call an elk is Cervus canadensis. However, since the latter does not live in Europe, but only in North America and Asia, if it is known at all, in Europe it is referred to as wapiti, while the former, in many languages has a name which is similar sounding to elk (e.g. Elch in German). What pushes the confusion to the next level is, that even in British English the term elk is used for what in American English would be called a Moose.
So, since I have decided that I myself will stick to British spelling and wording, I will be calling the animals that could be encountered in Lapland elk, even though Americans would be calling them moose.
Reindeer are traditionally herded by the Sámi but their reindeer roam free in the forests and plains of Lapland. This is the reason why it is so common to encounter Reindeer. They are free, but not completely wild animals. As mentioned above, they can be commonly encountered along or even on the roads in Lapland, which did also happen to us, luckily without an accident.
Elk are living as wild animals in Lapland and can also be from time to time encountered on the streets. Since they are significantly larger than Reindeer, this is a way more unwanted scenario and luckily did not happen to us.
Tourism
Travelling to Lapland has become more and more popular over the last years with the UK and Germany being the most common origin countries of travellers. There are many tourist activities that can be done, from skiing to riding reindeer or husky sledges to visiting the Santa Claus Office in Rovaniemi. This year, for obvious reasons, travel was restricted to within Finland, which made the experience at the tourist attractions that we visited a lot more enjoyable, since we did not have to wait for long.
One tourist attraction which was just possible for us to visit was the northernmost point of the European Union. Finland is bordered to the north by Norway and since they are not in the EU and Finland’s northernmost point has a higher latitude than Sweden’s, the northernmost point of the EU is at the border between Finland and Norway, in a little village called Nuorgam. This point is at 70°05′32″N 27°57′20″E. The trip all the way to the north allowed us to see a bit more of Lapland, outside the tourist-focussed towns with ski resorts and museums, even if it was only from the inside of the car.
All in all, I am very glad that I was able to do that trip, that the current health situation in Finland does still allow travel with the country and that I am slowly getting to know the country better. Some images from the trip can be found in the gallery of the blog.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. — John 1:3