Sånfjället National Park

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Sånfjället National Park
IUCN category II (national park)

Nyvallens fäbodvall (seter) in the national park
Location Jämtland County, Sweden
Coordinates 62°17′N 13°32′E / 62.283°N 13.533°E / 62.283; 13.533Coordinates: 62°17′N 13°32′E / 62.283°N 13.533°E / 62.283; 13.533
Area 103 km2 (40 sq mi)[1]
Established 1909, extended 1989[1]
Governing body Naturvårdsverket

Sonfjället, also written as Sånfjället (local dialect: Sôna), is a national park situated in Härjedalen, in central Sweden. It was established in 1909, making it one of Europe's oldest national parks. Following a land extension in 1989, it now covers 103 km2 (40 sq mi).

The mountainous area is filled with large boulders, intersected by streaming lakes. Trailing around the mountain area is also a wide spread forest area.

The park is famous for its animal fauna: a resident bear tribe, and a large elk tribe. Other animals are also common, including wolves and lynx.

Etymology

The national park is named after the mountain Sonfjället which reaches 1,278 meters above sea level. The exact meaning of the word son in this context is not known. It may be related to the Old West Norse word sunna, meaning Sun, and Sonfjället would thus literally mean "the sun fell".[2] This theory has however been disputed and claimed to be inconsistent with the local pronunciation.[3]

The name was between 1919[4] and 2010 officially spelled as Sånfjället, which the governing body thought better represented the pronunciation, however in June 2010 the official spelling was reverted to Sonfjället.[5]

Sonfjället

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Sånfjället National Park". Naturvårdsverket. Retrieved 2009-02-26. 
  2. ↑ Hellquist, Elof (1922). Svensk etymologisk ordbok. Lund: Gleerups förlag. p. 826. 
  3. ↑ Svenskt ortnamnslexikon, SOFI 2003
  4. ↑ Persson, Håkan (10 March 2009). "Sonfjället ska heta Sånfjället". Östersundsposten. Retrieved 12 June 2010. 
  5. ↑ Persson, Stefan (12 June 2010). "Sonfjället stavas med o". Östersundsposten. Retrieved 12 June 2010. 

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