Vidsel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vidsel | |
 |
|
  Vidsel
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Municipality | Älvsbyn Municipality |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Province | Norrbotten |
| Area [1] | |
| - Total | 0.77 km² (0.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |
| - Total | 569 |
| - Density | 736/km² (1,906.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Vidsel is a locality with about 600 inhabitants in Älvsbyn Municipality, Norrbotten County, about 900 km north of Stockholm, Sweden, in the Arctic Circle; Perhaps its earliest history is as a seasonal settlement, but permanent inhabitants have lived here since the 19th century.
The town was mainly founded in the 1950s, because of "Robotförsöksplats Norr" (RFN) (Missile Test Area North). The range forms part of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) Testing Directorate, which is responsible for the verification of systems procured for the Swedish Armed Forces.
RFN is the largest overland test range in Western Europe, consisting of 1,650 km² of uninhabited forest and marshland, which can be extended by 1,500 km² if required. The installation includes a military base with a 2,300 m runway. Because of its usage as a Swedish and European missile test site, this remote area is often listed in international weather forecasts and maps.
The site has been a test area for most Swedish flight developments, including Draken, Viggen and Gripen. New tests with EADS Phoenix and Eurofighter, as well as European military trainings, are planned for the future.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2000 och 2005 (xls) (Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
This article about a location in Norrbotten County, Sweden is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
|
|||||
