Jokkmokk Municipality

Jokkmokk Municipality (Swedish: Jokkmokks kommun, Finnish: Jokimukan kunta, Northern Sami: Johkamohkki gielda, Meänkieli: Jokinmukka) is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Jokkmokk.

Jokkmokk Municipality
Jokkmokks kommun
Municipality
Jokkmokk Municipal Building
Jokkmokk Municipal Building
Coat of arms of Jokkmokk Municipality
Coat of arms
Coordinates: 66°37′N 19°50′E
CountrySweden
CountyNorrbotten County
SeatJokkmokk
Area
[1]
 • Total19,334.44 km2 (7,465.07 sq mi)
 • Land17,614.32 km2 (6,800.93 sq mi)
 • Water1,720.12 km2 (664.14 sq mi)
 Area as of 1 January 2014.
Population
 (31 December 2021)[2]
 • Total4,780
 • Density0.25/km2 (0.64/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
International area code+46
ISO 3166 codeSE
ProvinceLapland
Municipal code2510
Websitewww.jokkmokk.se

The name Jokkmokk is Sami for the words "river" and "bend", since the town is situated close to a bend in the nearby river.

The municipality is the second largest in area of all Swedish municipalities and is, with an area of 19,477 km2 (approximately 7,520 square miles) slightly smaller than Slovenia or the US state of New Jersey. It has never been amalgamated with another entity, having been that large ever since municipalities were established in Sweden in 1863.

History

The name Jokkmokk is present in the Jokkmokk Lapland Court District, a historical jurisdiction. When the municipality was given its current borders in 1971, its municipal coat of arms were made to depict the hydro plant, the symbol of Luleå (to which Jokkmokk belonged until 1673), and the traditional Sami hammers.

Geography

The municipality is situated in the Scandinavian Mountains in Swedish Lapland and is sparsely populated. A large part of the area has been the habitat of reindeer herding Sami people for thousands of years and has for that reason been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Laponian area. The Laponian area is roughly divided into the eastern flatlands and the western mountainous region. There are several well-structured and well-maintained starting locations for those interested in experiencing the majestic wilderness. For instance, the Kvikkjokk basecamp provides excursions and has a high quality hostel.

Due to the northern location, the aurora borealis can be experienced all through winter (November to March), and the midnight sun can be experienced during June and July.

The Lule River and the Lesser Lule River flows through the district. The rivers are heavily regulated for hydroelectricity, most of all in Sweden. 6 of the 10 largest hydroelectric plants are located in the area. This includes the 977 MW Harsprånget, the 480 MW Porjus, and the 460 MW Messaure. There's a total of 11 hydroelectric plants in the area, 9 over 100 MW, 8 over 200 MW, and 4 over 400 MW.

Localities

There are three official localities (or urban areas) in Jokkmokk Municipality.[3] The municipal seat is bolded:

#LocalityPopulation
1Jokkmokk2,976
2Vuollerim800
3Porjus317

Additional small settlements within the municipality include the Sami reindeer herding camp Udtja[4][5] and the village of Puottaure.

Attractions

National parks

The four national parks in Jokkmokk Municipality all have their own distinct identity. The national parks are Sarek, Muddus, Padjelanta and Stora Sjöfallet.

These national parks are popular with tourists all year around but the darkest and coldest months (November to January) are not recommended for beginners. The best period for sunshine and winter activities is from February all through April, when the snow lies deep and the days are long. This time of year the national parks are easily accessible by snowmobile and skis. Visitors should understand and respect that the wilderness is just that, and snowmobiles are not allowed in the parks at any time.

The summer in Jokkmokk Municipality is short but intense. The ground is free of snow from May until late October, early November. As with most areas in the Nordic countries, the actual warm period is quite short, but as Jokkmokk Municipality has a continental climate, the temperature can top 30 degrees Celsius in the summer and reach as low as -40 degrees Celsius in the winter. During the summer months hikers and other friends of nature converge in the national parks and this is also the time when most of the parks are most easily accessed. Visitors should be warned that the amount of mosquitoes can be difficult to those not used to them and driving has an added danger in the reindeer that seek shelter from the mosquitoes. Collisions with reindeer are frequent in most of the northern parts of the Nordic countries and drivers should keep an eye out.

Fall is also short and the shifting colors of the wide forests make the surroundings burn with color. This is a good time for hiking but due to the shifting temperatures the mountainous parts of the national parks can be treacherous for those unprepared.

Other attractions
Jokkmokk's famous winter market

Jokkmokk is known for its Sami market held the first weekend every February. This market has been held for more than 400 consecutive years. Initially a gathering of traders from the entire region the market has long since grown to be more than a simple gathering of traders and is now a week-long cultural event with lectures, art exhibitions, concerts and much more.

Mining
Further information: Mining in Sweden

There are iron ore deposits in the region, and the proposed Kallak mine, which has been met with resistance by activists, lies within the municipality. Mining exploration by British company Beowulf Mining has identified a potential mining site between the (non-Sami) villages of Björkholmen and Randijaur, which forms part of the reindeer winter grazing lands of the Sami community of Jåhkågasska tjiellde. [6]

Elections

Riksdag

These are the results of the elections to the Riksdag since the 1972 municipal reform. Norrbotten Party also contested the 1994 election but due to the party's small size at a nationwide level SCB did not publish the party's results at a municipal level. The same applies to the Sweden Democrats between 1988 and 1998. "Turnout" denotes the percentage of eligible voters casting any ballots, whereas "Votes" denotes the number of actual valid ballots cast.

Year Turnout Votes V S MP C L KD M SD ND NP/SP
1973[7] 84.1 4,684 17.7 54.0 0.0 14.5 5.7 1.5 6.3 0.0 0.0 0.0
1976[8] 85.0 4,831 13.1 56.5 0.0 14.7 6.7 1.1 7.2 0.0 0.0 0.0
1979[9] 84.6 4,688 11.4 58.2 0.0 11.0 6.0 0.9 9.2 0.0 0.0 0.0
1982[10] 84.3 4,585 10.2 61.6 2.4 8.7 3.3 1.1 11.9 0.0 0.0 0.0
1985[11] 82.6 4,460 9.6 61.8 2.3 6.4 9.0 0.0 10.8 0.0 0.0 0.0
1988[12] 78.9 4,192 10.7 59.3 6.0 5.3 9.1 1.8 7.4 0.0 0.0 0.0
1991[13] 82.0 4,214 10.6 54.1 3.6 4.5 7.7 3.7 12.1 0.0 3.6 0.0
1994[14] 84.5 4,235 11.5 64.0 6.0 3.3 4.0 1.5 7.9 0.0 0.4 0.0
1998[15] 81.1 3,906 27.9 46.3 4.6 2.3 3.1 5.8 9.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
2002[16] 78.7 3,544 13.5 45.3 8.6 3.2 5.4 3.7 4.0 0.0 0.0 15.6
2006[17] 79.3 3,425 14.7 47.8 6.5 5.6 5.8 2.3 10.8 1.0 0.0 2.1
2010[18] 81.1 3,351 10.4 52.6 7.7 3.8 5.0 1.9 13.6 3.7 0.0 0.0
2014[19] 81.7 3,296 9.7 48.5 9.5 2.4 3.2 1.3 9.1 12.8 0.0 0.0

Blocs

This lists the relative strength of the socialist and centre-right blocs since 1973, but parties not elected to the Riksdag are inserted as "other", including the Sweden Democrats results from 1988 to 2006, but also the Christian Democrats pre-1991 and the Greens in 1982, 1985 and 1991. The sources are identical to the table above. The coalition or government mandate marked in bold formed the government after the election. New Democracy got elected in 1991 but are still listed as "other" due to the short lifespan of the party.

Year Turnout Votes Left Right SD Other Elected
1973 84.1 4,684 71.7 26.5 0.0 1.8 98.2
1976 85.0 4,831 69.6 28.6 0.0 1.8 98.2
1979 84.6 4,688 69.6 26.2 0.0 4.2 95.8
1982 84.3 4,585 71.8 23.9 0.0 4.3 95.7
1985 82.6 4,460 71.4 26.2 0.0 2.4 97.6
1988 78.9 4,192 76.0 21.8 0.0 2.2 97.8
1991 82.0 4,214 64.7 28.0 0.0 7.3 96.3
1994 84.5 4,235 81.5 16.7 0.0 1.8 98.2
1998 81.1 3,906 78.8 20.3 0.0 0.9 99.1
2002 78.7 3,544 67.4 16.3 0.0 16.3 83.7
2006 79.3 3,425 69.0 24.5 0.0 6.5 93.5
2010 81.1 3,351 70.7 24.3 3.7 1.3 98.7
2014 81.7 3,296 67.7 16.0 12.8 3.5 96.5

References
  1. "Statistiska centralbyrån, Kommunarealer den 1 januari 2014" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 2014-01-01. Archived from the original (Microsoft Excel) on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2014-04-18.
  2. "Folkmängd i riket, län och kommuner 31 december 2021" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  3. Statistics Sweden as of December 31, 2005
  4. Hoppál, Mihály; Pentikäinen, Juha (1992). Northern Religions and Shamanism. Akadémiai Kiadó. ISBN 9789630563987.
  5. "Hungry bears preying on more reindeer calves: study". 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  6. Blåhed, Hanna; Sebastián, Miguel San (2 June 2021). ""If the reindeer die, everything dies": The mental health of a Sámi community exposed to a mining project in Swedish Sápmi". International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 80 (1). doi:10.1080/22423982.2021.1935132. PMC 8259850. PMID 34219614.
  7. "Riksdagsvalet 1973 (page 168)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. "Riksdagsvalet 1976 (page 163)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. "Riksdagsvalet 1979 (page 187)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  10. "Riksdagsvalet 1982 (page 189)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  11. "Riksdagsvalet 1985 (page 189)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  12. "Riksdagsvalet 1988 (page 169)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  13. "Riksdagsvalet 1991 (page 32)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  14. "Riksdagsvalet 1994 (page 46)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  15. "Riksdagsvalet 1998 (page 43)" (PDF) (in Swedish). SCB. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  16. "Valresultat Riksdag Jokkmokks kommun 2002" (in Swedish). Valmyndigheten. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  17. "Valresultat Riksdag Jokkmokks kommun 2006" (in Swedish). Valmyndigheten. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  18. "Valresultat Riksdag Jokkmokks kommun 2010" (in Swedish). Valmyndigheten. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  19. "Valresultat Riksdag Jokkmokks kommun 2014" (in Swedish). Valmyndigheten. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
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