Padjelanta
| Padjelanta National Park | |
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| Padjelanta nationalpark | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Niják and Gisuris viewed from Padjelanta National Park, July 2005
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| Location | Norrbotten County, Sweden |
| Coordinates | 67°22′N 16°48′E / 67.367°N 16.800°ECoordinates: 67°22′N 16°48′E / 67.367°N 16.800°E |
| Area | 1,984 km2 (766 sq mi) |
| Established | 1962 |
| Governing body | Naturvårdsverket |
Padjelanta (Swedish: Padjelanta nationalpark) is a national park in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Established in 1963, it is the largest national park in Sweden with an area of 1,984 km2 (766 sq mi), and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponia established in 1996.
The name of the park derives from the Lule Sami word Badjelánnda, which translates to the higher land – a straightforward description of the region. Today the three Sámi villages Duorbun, Jåhkågasska and Sirges let their reindeer graze in Padjelanta in the summer, using the traditional settlements of Stáloluokta, Árasluokta and Sállohávrre.
The park, which borders on Norway in the west, is primarily comprised by a vast plateau around the two unusually large lakes Vastenjávrre and Virihávrre – the latter of which is often referred to as "the most beautiful lake in Sweden". Consequently, the landscape is fairly flat and open, especially compared to the alpine Sarek National Park on its eastern border, and mainly consists of rolling hills with few peaks of the higher variety.
Most of the park is situated above the tree line; meaning few species of trees can survive the harsh climate of the park. The exposure of strong winds and the cold winters has made it so that the only tree that can exist in any relevant numbers is the small and robust Betula pubescens subsp. tortuosa (mountain birch). These form a small forest (1,400 ha (3,500 acres)) in the northeast corner of the park. The diversity of the flora is extremely high, nonetheless: over 400 different lower plant (thallophytes) species have been cataloged in the area, which reportedly is a record in the Swedish fells (highlands). This is due to its western position and chalk-rich bedrock. Some of these species, such as Arenaria humifusa and Gentiana aurea, can only be found in the Swedish fell regions and Potentilla robbinsiana is a plant that, in Europe, has only ever been found in Padjelanta.
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