Torne Valley

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The Torne Valley or Torne River Valley, is a valley on the border of Sweden and Finland. It is named after the Torne River flowing through the valley and into the Gulf of Bothnia.

On the Swedish side of the valley is home to a unique culture, which has its own language, Meänkieli. The language is similar to the Finnish language and is sometimes called Torne Valley Finnish - the people who speak it are often referred to as Tornedalians. The originally Finnish-speaking land area is far greater than the actual river valley; it extends as far west as Gällivare. Although confusing from a geographic point of view, this whole area is often referred to as Torne Valley.