Norrland Plateau

a plateau in northern Sweden and partially in Finland. It lies on the Baltic Shield to the east of the Scandinavian Mountains and north of 64° N lat. The plateau is composed chiefly of granite and gneiss covered by glacial deposits—moraine ridges and other traces of the Pleistocene glaciation. The elevation ranges from 500–800 m in the northwest to 200 m or less in the east and southeast. Near the Gulf of Bothnia the plateau is crossed by many deep turbulent rivers whose valleys lie along tectonic faults. In the wider parts of valleys are long narrow lakes. Hydroelectric power stations have been built along the rivers. The annual precipitation ranges from 600 to 800 mm. Summers are cool, and winters are moderately cold, with heavy snowfall. The region is covered by a coniferous taiga of spruce and pine and by mixed forests with aspen and birch. Logging is an important industry. Near Kiruna is one of Europe’s largest iron-ore deposits. There are also deposits of non-ferrous metals.