Sápmi is a special land.
It is in the far north. It sits in four countries. Many Sámi people live there. They see reindeer and bears.
Can you find it on the map?
Sápmi is a large land in the north.
It sits in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Much of it is north of the Arctic Circle.
The land has many mountains and deep valleys. You might see big lakes and rivers too.
Some parts have many trees. Other parts are very bare.
It can be very cold there. In winter, the sun does not rise for a long time. In summer, the sun stays up all night!
Many animals live in Sápmi. You can find reindeer, wolves, and bears. There are also many birds.
Sámi people live in this region. They have their own ways of talking. It is a very special place.
Sápmi is a large cultural region in the north.
It covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of this land lies north of the Arctic Circle.
The land is very diverse. In the west, you will see high mountains and deep valleys. The highest peak is Mount Kebnekaise.
In the east, the land is flatter with many lakes and marshes. Lake Inari is the largest lake in this area.
The weather can be very cold. In winter, the sun does not rise for many days. In summer, the sun stays up all night! This is called the midnight sun.
Many animals live here, like reindeer, wolves, and bears.
The Sámi people live in Sápmi. They have their own languages. Some languages are still strong, while others are at risk. The Sámi have parliaments in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. These groups help them look after their own affairs.
Sápmi is a place with a very old and deep history.
Sápmi is a large cultural region in the far north.
It covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of this land sits north of the Arctic Circle. The region is bounded by the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the White Sea. It is a place with many different landscapes. You can find deep valleys and high mountains in the west. The highest peak in this area is Mount Kebnekaise.
In the east, the land is flatter with many lakes and marshes. The largest of these is Lake Inari in Finnish Lapland.
The weather in Sápmi can be quite extreme. The climate is subarctic or tundra. In the winter, people experience polar nights when the sun does not rise. In the summer, the midnight sun stays up all night.
In Inari, summer highs can reach 15°C. Winter lows can drop to -30°C. Snow often covers the ground for two-thirds of the year. The first snowflakes usually fall in September. Many animals live in this environment. You might see reindeer, wolves, bears, or many different birds.
Sápmi has a long and complex history. In the past, Sámi settlements reached much further south. They may have lived as far as Oslo in the west. They also reached the lakes of Ladoga and Onega in the east. For a long time, other people used different names for the region. They called it Lapland or Lappmarken. Many Sámi people find these old names offensive today. They prefer the name Sápmi. This name refers to both the land and the Sámi people. It is the Northern Sámi name for the region.
The Sámi people have their own unique languages. These languages belong to the Uralic family. There are different groups like East, Central, and South Sápmi. Northern Sámi is the most widely spoken language. It has about 20,000 speakers as of 2024. Some other languages, like Kemi Sámi, are now extinct. Many Sámi people live in cities like Oslo or Stockholm. Others have moved to places like Canada or the United States. It is estimated that between 80,000 and 100,000 Sámi people exist.
Today, the Sámi have ways to help govern themselves. Norway, Sweden, and Finland all have Sámi Parliaments.
These groups help look after the interests of Sámi citizens. The Norwegian Sámi Parliament is located in Kárášjohka. The Swedish Parliament is in Kiruna. The Finnish Parliament is in Inari. In Russia, there is no Sámi Parliament. Instead, they use different organizations to represent them. The Sámi Council also helps different countries work together. This helps keep their culture and rights strong in the modern world.
Sápmi is a vast cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people.
It is not a single country or a sovereign political entity. Instead, it stretches across the northern parts of Fennoscandia. This includes territories within Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of the region lies north of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered by the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the White Sea. The name Sápmi refers to both the land and the people themselves. In Northern Sámi, the word is the accusative-genitive form of the noun Sápmi.
The geography of Sápmi is diverse and changes across the landscape. The western portion features fjords, glaciers, and deep valleys. This area includes high mountains, such as Mount Kebnekaise. In Sweden, great rivers flow from the northwest toward the southeast. Moving east, the terrain transitions into a low plateau. This area contains many marshes and lakes. Lake Inari in Finnish Lapland is the largest of these lakes. The extreme northeast contains a tundra region, though it lacks permafrost.
The climate in Sápmi is classified as subarctic or tundra. Vegetation is sparse, though the southern parts have dense forests. In the north, residents experience unique solar phenomena. These include polar nights in winter and the midnight sun in summer. These effects grow stronger the further north one travels. In Inari, summer highs can reach 15°C. Winter lows can drop to -30°C. Snow cover typically lasts for about two-thirds of the year. The first snowfall often arrives in September.
Sámi culture is divided into several distinct geographic and linguistic areas. East Sápmi includes the Kola peninsula and the Lake Inari region. This area is home to the eastern Sámi languages. It is the most heavily populated part of Sápmi. However, the Indigenous culture is weakest in this eastern section. Central Sápmi includes parts of Norway and Sweden. It also includes the western part of Finland's Sámi Domicile Area. This is where Sámi culture is strongest. Northern Sámi, the most widely used language, is spoken here.
South Sápmi covers the areas south of the Saltfjellet mountains. This region includes parts of both Sweden and Norway. It is home to the southern Sámi languages. In this area, culture is mostly visible on the coast or inland. Many of the languages in the south are spoken by very few people. The Sámi languages belong to the Uralic language family. They are most closely related to the Finnic languages. While many languages were once part of a dialect continuum, many are now moribund. Northern Sámi remains the most vital, with roughly 20,000 speakers as of 2024.
Historically, the term "Lapland" was used by English speakers. Scandinavian peoples often used the exonyms "Finns" or "Lapps." Today, many Sámi people consider these terms outdated or pejorative. The term "Lapp" can imply being uneducated or backwards. Because of this, many prefer the name Sápmi. In the past, Sámi settlements were much larger. They may have reached as far as Oslo in the west. They also may have reached the lakes of Ladoga and Onega in the east.
Modern governance for the Sámi is managed through several systems. Norway, Sweden, and Finland have established Sámi Parliaments.
These parliaments have varying levels of authority over Sámi citizens. The Norwegian Sámi Parliament is located in Kárášjohka. The Swedish Parliament sits in Kiruna. The Finnish Parliament is located in Inari. In Russia, there is no Sámi Parliament. Instead, they use organizations like the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. The Sámi Council acts as an umbrella organization for interstate cooperation. This helps the Sámi people manage their interests across different national borders.
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