Kiruna Municipality is a Municipality in northernmost Sweden where the city Kiruna is seat of government. The municipality has the largest area in Sweden with 19,446.8 km. The name comes from the Sami language Giron and means ptarmigan, a white bird native to northern areas. This bird is also depicted on the city arms, together with the sign for Iron.
Being located 145 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Kiruna has perpetual daylight, the midnight sun, approximately from 30 May to 15 July. The polar night is a few weeks shorter, lasting December 13 January 5.
Kiruna is the northernmost municipality in Sweden, and geographically it is as large as the three southernmost counties of Scania, Blekinge and Halland grouped together. At one time Kiruna was listed as the largest city in the world by area, but after the Swedish municipality reform in the 1970’s the area is no longer a part of a city.
The local mountain, Kebnekaise, is Sweden’s highest mountain at 2,117 metres above sea level. There are more than 6,000 lakes in Kiruna municipality, with Tornetrsk Lake as the largest. Seven rivers run through the municipality, named Kalix River, Torne River, Lainio River, Rautas River and Vittangi River, as well as the Knkm River and Muonio River which mark the border with Finland.
Iron ore extraction is a key industry of the area, and the town is very dependent on the mining company LKAB.
In 2004, it was decided that the present centre of the municipality (N6749’48’‘, E2025’48’‘) must be relocated, since it is in danger of sinking in 1 kilometre deep due to the iron ore mining. The relocation should be made gradually over the next decade.
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Luleå Municipality ( listen?, [l??l?]) is a Swedish municipality in northern Sweden where the city Luleå is seat with a population of about 45,000. Luleå serves as the county seat of Norrbotten County. In an earlier census, 36,201 of the then total population of 71,652 was male, and 35,451 was female.
Iron ore is extracted in Kiruna and Malmberget, and brought by rail to the harbours of Luleå and Narvik. The railroad and harbours were significant for the course of WWII in Scandinavia.
(Borders as of 1920–1940. In WWII, the Petsamo area was won by the Soviet Union.)
The harbour of Luleå
Narvik is a city in the county of Nordland, Norway. The municipality of Narvik covers large areas outside the town itself. Narvik is one of the most northerly towns in the world, with a railroad connecting to Kiruna, in Sweden, but not to Bodø, which is at the northern end of the rest of Norway's railroad network.
Narvik in World War II
The port of Narvik proved to be strategically valuable in the early years of World War II and the city became a focal point of the Norwegian Campaign. In 1939 Germany's war industry depended upon iron ore extracted in
Skänninge is a town in the province of Östergötland, Sweden. It has about 3500 inhabitants.
The town is located on the Skena river and goes back to the 11th century, making it one of the oldest towns in Sweden.
Vadstena is a Municipality in Östergötland County, in southeast Sweden. The municipality covers an area of 183.2 km². Of the total population of 7668, 3751 are male, and 3917 are female. The population density of the community is 42 inhabitants per km². It is located by Lake Vättern.
Vadstena Castle is one of Sweden’s best-preserved castles from the Vasa period (circ. 1520-1650).
Here, in 1350, Saint Birgitta, also known as St Bridget of Sweden, founded the first monastery of the Bridgettine Order.
Söderköping is a municipality in Östergötland County, in southeast Sweden. Covering an area of 671.9 km², the municipality has a total population of 13,936 (6,967 males and 6,969 females), giving a population density of 20.7 inhabitants per km².
In 1595 the Riksdag of the Estates assembled at Söderköping and elected Duke Charles regent of Sweden in place of the Catholic Sigismund, who was king of both Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Söderköping stands at the eastern end of the Göta kanal, a 390-km long canal opened in 1832 to connect Gothenburg to the Baltic Sea by inland waterway.
