Lapland, also known by its Swedish name Lappland is a province in northernmost Sweden.Located in Sweden, Lapland is known for containing the Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve, one of the largest nature reserves in Sweden. Other parts of Lapland have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Laponian area, and the province contains some of the oldest and most spectacular national parks of northern Europe, e.g. Sarek National Park, established in 1909. Lapland has an area of 109,702 square km. Kiruna is located in the north of Sweden, 145 kilometres north of the Arctic circle. In winter, the Icehotel in nearby Jukkasjarvi and the northern lights attract tourists. The long and certain snow cover, which generally lasts from October to May, and frozen lakes and rivers facilitate cross-country and alpine skiing, dog sledding and snowmobiling. There is ice climbing in the mountains and ice skating on lakes or rivers. The annual Snow Festival is held over the last weekend of January and includes scooter jumping, reindeer racing and an ice sculpture contest.
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