Abisko (; ) is a village in

Sápmi is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia, stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of Sápmi lies north of the Arctic Circle, boun ...

( Lapland), in northern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, roughly 200 km north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

, and near

Abisko National Park Abisko National Park () is a List of national parks of Sweden, National Park in Sweden, established in 1909. Geography Abisko is situated in the Swedish province of Lapland (Sweden), Lapland near the Norway, Norwegian border (distance approx ...

, located 4 km west of the village. It had 85 inhabitants as of 2005.

Permafrost Permafrost () is soil or underwater sediment which continuously remains below for two years or more; the oldest permafrost has been continuously frozen for around 700,000 years. Whilst the shallowest permafrost has a vertical extent of below ...

is common around the village albeit this low altitude permafrost is disappearing because of

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

and increased snowfall.

Transportation

Daily passenger electric trains run by

SJ AB SJ is the primary passenger train operator in Sweden. A wholly List of government enterprises of Sweden, state-owned company operated for-profit under market conditions, SJ operates various services across Sweden. SJ's operations include High-spee ...

connect

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

with the Norwegian city of

Narvik () is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...

, stopping at both the Abisko village (the name of that railway station is ''Abisko Östra'' ast and the Abisko Turiststation. Additional regional trains provide links along the Kiruna-Narvik stretch. Abisko is also reachable by car via the highway E10 which has linked Kiruna and Narvik since the early 1980s. Other local forms of transportation include hiking and dog-sledding in winter. A chair-lift provides access to a point below the summit of nearby Mt. Nuolja.

Tourism

The 425 kilometer-long

Kungsleden Kungsleden (King's Trail) is a hiking trail in northern Sweden, approximately long, between Abisko in the north and Hemavan in the south. The full distance breaks down into 419.3 km of trekking, 18.2 km of lake crossings and a 29.5 km stretch o ...

hiking trail, which follows the

Scandinavian mountain range The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to the ...

, starts (or ends) at the Abisko Turiststation (consisting of a railway station of the same name and the Abisko Youth Hostel) (approx. 4 km west of the village itself) and follows through the national park. The Nordkalottruta uses trails of the park as part of its longer passage. The ''Abisko Turiststation'', run by the

Svenska Turistföreningen The Swedish Tourist Association (, ; abbreviated STF), founded in 1885, aims at promoting outdoor life and knowledge among the Swedes about their country. The Association maintains a variety of trails, huts and hostels in different parts of Swed ...

(STF), houses many visitors to the park and provides lodging, food, and other amenities, and is one of many similar facilities located periodically along the Kungsleden trail. The national park is known for its

Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

opportunities,

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

, and other winter sports (Mount Nuolja and nearby Björkliden provides

Backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, freeriding or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine s ...

and freeriding opportunities). The 9-hole golfcourse at Björkliden is the northern most in Sweden. As its location is 195 km north of the Arctic Circle, summer hikers enjoy the

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

, while winter visitors may find the light pollution-free location ideal for viewing the

aurora borealis An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

. One of the most recognized natural sights is

Lapporten Lapporten (Swedish: "The Lapponian Gate") or Tjuonavagge (Northern Sami language, Northern Sami: ''Čuonjávággi'', "Goose Valley") is a U-shaped valley located just outside Abisko National Park in Lapland (Sweden), Lapland in northern Sweden, on ...

, a

U-shaped valley U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of Glacial period, glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with s ...

visible from Abisko. Abisko is also located near the 330 square kilometre (130 sq mi) lake

Torneträsk Torneträsk or Torne träsk (; Saami: ; Finnish and or ) is a lake in Kiruna Municipality, Lapland, Norrbotten County in Sweden, in the Scandinavian Mountains. ''Träsk'' is the local word for ''lake'' (in Standard Swedish it means "swamp"). ...

Research Station

Abisko is home to the Abisko Scientific Research Station, an important centre for research into

Arctic ecology Arctic ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in the arctic, the region north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N). This region is characterized by two biomes: taiga (or boreal forest) and tundra. W ...

and

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. The research station hosts the Climate Impacts Research Centre,

Umeå University Umeå University (; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present bord ...

, where research, education and outreach on aquatic and terrestrial ecology are undertaken.

Climate

Abisko has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

( Dfc), typical of Northern Sweden in Lapland. Summers are cool and rainy with chilly nights and snow covers are often modest except for during milder winters where maritime air brings more precipitation. Winters are long and cold but somewhat moderated by mild

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

air coming from the west. That means Abisko has a milder annual mean temperature than municipal seat

Kiruna (; ; ; ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The c ...

in spite of the chilly summers. Precipitation peaks during summer. Abisko is a very cloudy village by Swedish standards but is also one of the driest places in the country due to it being in a

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from body of water, bodies of water (such as oceans and larg ...

from the

Scandinavian Mountains The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to th ...

. The difference between it and relatively nearby

Riksgränsen ; ) is a Swedish ski resort located at the northwest edge of Kiruna Municipality in Lappland, next to the Norwegian border. It is the most northerly ski resort in the world, being roughly north of the Arctic Circle; the skiing season is from ...

is extreme, with Abisko receiving a lot less than half of its precipitation.

References

External links

Abisko Fjällturer, a tourist business at Abisko
{{Authority control Populated lakeshore places in Sweden Populated places in Kiruna Municipality Lapland (Sweden)