Lapland

Lap·land

L0048200 (lăp′lănd′, -lənd) A region of extreme northern Europe including northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland and the Kola Peninsula of northwest Russia. It is largely within the Arctic Circle and is the traditional homeland of the Sami.

Lap′land·er n.

Lapland

(ˈlæpˌlænd) n (Placename) an extensive region of N Europe, mainly within the Arctic Circle: consists of the N parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of the extreme NW of Russia. Also called (informal): Land of the Midnight Sun

Lap•land

(ˈlæpˌlænd)

n. a region in N Norway, N Sweden, N Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of the NW Russian Federation in Europe: inhabited by Lapps. Lap′land`er, n.

Thesaurus

Noun

Lapland - a region in northmost Europe inhabited by LappsLapplandEurope - the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British IslesLapp, Lapplander, Saame, Saami, Same, Sami - a member of an indigenous nomadic people living in northern Scandinavia and herding reindeer

Translations

Lapland

(lăp`lănd'), Finn. Lappi, Nor. Lapland, Swed. Lappland, vast region of N Europe, largely within the Arctic Circle. It includes the Norwegian provinces of Finnmark and Troms and part of Nordland; the Swedish historic province of Lappland; N Finland; and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Swedish Lappland is now included in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties.

Lapland is mountainous in N Norway and Sweden, reaching its highest point (6,965 ft/2,123 m) in Kebnekaise (Sweden), and consists largely of tundra in the northeast. There are also extensive forests and many lakes and rivers. The climate is arctic and the vegetation is generally sparse, except in the forested southern zone. Lapland is very rich in mineral resources, particularly in high-grade iron ore at Gällivare and Kiruna (Sweden), in copper at Sulitjelma (Norway), and in nickel and apatite in Russia. Kirkenes and Narvik (both in Norway) are the chief maritime outlets for Scandinavian Lapland, and Murmansk is the port for Russian Lapland. The region abounds in sea and river fisheries and in aquatic and land fowl. Reindeer are essential to the economy; there is a growing tourist industry in the region.

The Sami, formerly known as Lapps or Laplanders, who constitute the indigenous population, number from about 80,000 to 100,000. The largest concentration of Sami are found in Norway (about 50,000), where formerly they were called Finns (hence the province name Finnmark). Sami institutions in Norway include a parliament (est. 1989) in Karasjok, which advises the federal parliament on Sami concerns, and the anthropological Nordic Sami Institute in Kautokeino. There are also Sami parliaments in Sweden and Finland, and the international Sami Council works to protect the rights of Sami throughout Lapland. The Sami speak a Finno-Ugric language, also called Sami and divided into three broad regional dialects, but only about 30,000 are Sami speakers. The Sami once led a largely nomadic life, but now only about a tenth raise and follow the reindeer herds, wintering in the lowlands and summering in the western mountains. Their movements today are more restricted than in former times. Other Sami are sea and river fishermen and hunters or work in other fields.

Little is known of their early history, and they have proved to have no genetic resemblance to any other peoples. It is believed that they came from central Asia and were pushed to the northern extremity of Europe by the migrations of the Finns, Goths, and Slavs. They may have assumed their Finnic language in the last millennium B.C. Though mainly conquered by Sweden and Norway in the Middle Ages, the Sami long resisted Christianization, which was completed only in the 18th cent. by Russian and Scandinavian missionaries, and elements of their traditional shamanism survived despite being banned.

Bibliography

See V. Stalder, Lapland (1971) and N.-A. Valkeapaa, Greetings from Lappland: The Sami—Europe's Forgotten People (1983).

Lapland

a region in northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland and the western part of Murmansk Oblast, USSR, north of 64°-66° N lat. It is the basic area of settlement of the Saam or Lapps.

Lapland

northern region of Scandinavian peninsula, mostly within Arctic Circle. [Geography: Misc.]See: Coldness

Lapland

an extensive region of N Europe, mainly within the Arctic Circle: consists of the N parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of the extreme NW of Russia

Lapland

Lap·land

Lapland

Lap•land

Lapland

Lapland

Bibliography

Lapland

Lapland

Lapland

Lapland

Synonyms for Lapland

noun a region in northmost Europe inhabited by Lapps

Synonyms

Related Words