Sånfjället National Park

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Sånfjället National Park
Sånfjällets nationalpark
IUCN category II (national park)
284px
Nyvallens fäbodvall (seter) in the national park
Location Jämtland County, Sweden
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 103 km2 (40 sq mi)[1]
Established 1909, extended 1989[1]
Governing body Naturvårdsverket


Sonfjället, also spelled Sånfjället (local dialect: Sôna), is a national park situated in Härjedalen, in central Sweden. It was established in 1909, making it one of Europe's oldest national parks. Following a land extension in 1989, it now covers 103 km2 (40 sq mi).

The mountainous area is filled with large boulders, intersected by streaming lakes. Trailing around the mountain area is also a widespread forest area.

The park is noted for the animals living in it: a resident bear tribe, and a large elk tribe. Other animals are also common, including wolves and lynx.

Etymology

The national park is named after the mountain Sonfjället which reaches 1,278 m (4,193 ft) above sea level. The exact meaning of the word son in this context is not known. It may be related to the Old West Norse word sunna, meaning Sun, and Sonfjället would thus literally mean "the sun fell".[2] This theory has however been disputed and claimed to be inconsistent with the local pronunciation.[3]

In 1919[4] to 2010, the name was officially spelled as Sånfjället, which the governing body thought better represented the pronunciation, however in June 2010, the official spelling was reverted to Sonfjället.[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Svenskt ortnamnslexikon, SOFI 2003
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External links

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