Kalix | |
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Coordinates: 65°51′N 23°10′E / 65.850°N 23.167°ECoordinates: 65°51′N 23°10′E / 65.850°N 23.167°E | |
Country | Sweden |
Province | Norrbotten |
County | Norrbotten County |
Municipality | Kalix Municipality |
Area | |
• Total | 7.57 km2 (2.92 sq mi) |
Population (31 December 2010) | |
• Total | 7,299 |
• Density | 964/km2 (2,500/sq mi) |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Website | http://www.kalix.se/ |
Kalix (Kalix dialect: Kôlis, Finnish: Kainuu, Meänkieli: Kainus) is a locality and the seat of the Kalix Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The name Kalix is believed to originate from the Sami word Gáláseatnu, or "Kalasätno", meaning "The cold river" the ancient name of the Kalix River. It had 7,299 inhabitants in 2005, out of 17,300 inhabitants in the municipality of Kalix.
There is a culinary speciality specific to Kalix, called Kalixlöjrom, also referred to as caviar of Kalix. It is basically fish eggs (caviar) of the Common bleak, but because of the large influx of fresh water from the huge rivers around and in Kalix, this has transformed the taste of the fish eggs, rendering them unique in flavour to this area alone. It is the special mix of the elements bromine, strontium, iodine, selenium, molybdenum, barium and lithium, along with a unique ratio between strontium and barium, that makes the Kalixlöjrom unique, which is why the EU has granted the Protected Geographical Status for the Kalixlöjrom. The Kalixlöjrom has been present at many Nobel dinners through the years, and among others, the 1990 Gastronomy Academy gold medal winner Norbert Lang of Paul & Norbert in Stockholm likes his Kalixlöjrom.
The archipelago outside the Kalix coast line has 792 islands. Some of the larger islands in the Kalix archipelago include:
Bergön is known as having the best sauna in the Kalix archipelago. Halsön has a large white sand beach with barbecue camps. The true gem however, is Malören. Malören is the final outpost of the archipelago and has as such had maritime pilots placed there from the 1830s all the way up to 1967. The island has a church, a small village with houses mostly used as summer cabins today, but also interesting remains of a time past, like one or two graves, a labyrinth and a wreck. The archipelago is important to the people of Kalix - if one does not have a cabin there then at least a good boat to get from island to island in. And one of the summer highlights for the local population is the sailing races organized by the Kalix sail- and race boat society (Kalix Segel och Motorbåtssällskap, KSMS).