Sonfjället National Park

Sonfjället, also spelled Sånfjället (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈsôːnˌfjɛlːɛt];[2] 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).

Sonfjället National Park
Sonfjällets nationalpark
Nyvallens fäbodvall (seter) in the national park
LocationJämtland County, Sweden
Coordinates62°17′N 13°32′E
Area103 km2 (40 sq mi)[1]
Established1909, extended 1989[1]
Governing bodyNaturvårdsverket
National parks of Sweden (clickable map)

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

The park is noted for the animals living in it: 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 m (4,193 ft) 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".[3] This theory has however been disputed and claimed to be inconsistent with the local pronunciation.[4]

From 1919[5] to 2010, the name was officially spelled as Sånfjället, which the governing body thought better represented the pronunciation, however in June 2010, the official spelling was reverted to Sonfjället.[6]

Sonfjället

References
  1. "Sånfjället National Park". Naturvårdsverket. Archived from the original on 2009-04-04. Retrieved 2009-02-26.
  2. Jöran Sahlgren; Gösta Bergman (1979). Svenska ortnamn med uttalsuppgifter (in Swedish). p. 22.
  3. Hellquist, Elof (1922). Svensk etymologisk ordbok. Lund: Gleerups förlag. p. 826.
  4. Svenskt ortnamnslexikon, SOFI 2003
  5. Persson, Håkan (10 March 2009). "Sonfjället ska heta Sånfjället". Östersundsposten. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
  6. Persson, Stefan (12 June 2010). "Sonfjället stavas med o". Östersundsposten. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
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