| Stora Sjöfallet National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Suorvajaure from Vakkotavare |
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| Location | Norrbotten County, Sweden |
| Area | 1,278 km2 (493 sq mi)[1] |
| Established | 1909[1] |
| Governing body | Naturvårdsverket |
Stora Sjöfallet is a national park in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, in Gällivare Municipality. It is situated by the Norwegian border. It was declared a national park in 1909. The national park is part of the Laponian area which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The great waterfalls at the heart of the park were, in historic times, among the most powerful and visually striking in Europe, but relatively soon after the area was given its protected status, the government permitted hydroelectric development of the falls, which deprived the sheer drop of most of its visible water flow except for a few times a year and damaged the shorelines of Akkajaure. Later developments in this part of the park have included a power line, roads and gravel banks. Already in the 1960s the status as national park was questioned due to these severe changes, and the area of the falls, which was the chief reason for setting it aside, today is no longer a part of the national park.
It covers an area of 1,278 km². It is divided in two by the Akkajaure hydroelectric reservoir. The park's western and northern portions lie in the Scandinavian Mountains, featuring several glaciers and some of the highest peaks of the country. The mountain Áhkká, known as the Queen of Lappland, dominates much of the park. The lower hills in the south of the park are covered by forests of fir trees. .
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