Laponia‘s 9400 km² consists of the national parks Muddus, Sarek, Padjelanta and Stora Sjöfallet, and the nature reserves Sjaunja and Stubba. 95% of the area is protected as national parks or nature reserves. The other 5% are in the areas of Sulitelma, Tjuoltadalen, and Rapadalen.

The Arctic Circle region of northern Sweden is the home of the Sami. It is the largest area in the world with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal movement of livestock.
Every summer, the Sami lead their huge herds of reindeer towards the mountains through a sor far preserved natural landscape. Historical and ongoing geological processes can be seen in the glacial moraines and changing water courses.

Sápmi is the name the Sami call their land and it is quite a large area; about the size of Sweden, but spread out over Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russian Kola Peninsula. The Sami inhabited the region long before the concept of national borders existed. Most experts agree that the Sami culture can be traced back to around 2000 to 2500 years.

Read a little more about the Sami people at Laponia.nu or Sim1 Travels