Jokkmokk Municipality Jokkmokks kommun |
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Municipality | ||
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Country | Sweden | |
County | Norrbotten County | |
Seat | Jokkmokk | |
Area | ||
• Total | 19,334.44 km2 (7,465.07 sq mi) | |
• Land | 17,614.32 km2 (6,800.93 sq mi) | |
• Water | 1,720.12 km2 (664.14 sq mi) | |
Area as of January 1, 2014. | ||
Population (December 31, 2016) | ||
• Total | 5,105 | |
• Density | 0.26/km2 (0.68/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
ISO 3166 code | SE | |
Province | Lapland | |
Municipal code | 2510 | |
Website | www.jokkmokk.se |
Jokkmokk Municipality (Swedish: Jokkmokks kommun, Finnish: Jokimukan kunta, Northern Sami: Johkamohkki gielda, Meänkieli: Jokinmukka) is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Jokkmokk.
The name Jokkmokk is Sami for the words "river" and "bend", since the town is situated close to a bend in the nearby river. It's Sweden's poorest municipality.
The municipality is the second largest in size of all Swedish municipalities and is, with an area of 19,477 km2 (approximately 7,520 square miles) slightly smaller than Slovenia or the US state of New Jersey. It has never been amalgamated with another entity, having been that large ever since municipalities were established in Sweden in 1863.
The name Jokkmokk is present in the Jokkmokk Lapland Court District, a historical jurisdiction. When the municipality was given its current borders in 1971, its municipal coat of arms were made to depict the hydro plant, the symbol of Luleå (to which Jokkmokk belonged until 1673), and the traditional Sami hammers.
The municipality is situated in the Scandinavian Mountains in Swedish Lapland and is sparsely populated. A large part of the area has been the habitat of reindeer herding Sami people for thousands of years and has for that reason been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Laponian area. The Laponian area is roughly divided into the eastern flatlands and the western mountainous region. There are several well-structured and well-maintained starting locations for those interested in experiencing the majestic wilderness. For instance, the Kvikkjokk basecamp provides excursions and has a high quality hostel.