Abisko National Park 5.32

Abisko National Park is a National Park in Sweden, established in 1909.GeographyAbisko is situated in the Swedish province of Lapland near the Norwegian border (distance approx. 37km by railway), and belongs to Kiruna Municipality, Sweden's northernmost and largest municipality. It begins at the shores of Torneträsk, one of Sweden's largest lakes where the village of Abisko is located, and extends some 15km to the south-west. It is situated about 195km. north of the Arctic Circle. The area of the park is 77km2HistoryThe park was proposed and established in 1909, the same year Sweden's first laws on nature conservation were created, by a group of prominent Swedish scientists, including the well-known geologist.The purpose of the Abisko National Park was to "preserve an area with northern Nordic fell nature in its original condition and as a reminiscence for scientific research". The region has proved to be of much scientific interest, as is shown by the Abisko Scientific Research Station which exists to study the area. Furthermore, the national park was intended to be a prominent tourist attraction.Abisko is also home to the Abisko Scientific Research Station, first established in 1903 approximately 31 km west of Abisko in Vassijaura. After a fire in 1910 a new station was built in its present location in Abisko in 1912 and opening in 1913. The research station was incorporated within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1935. It is used primarily for biological, climate, ecological, environmental, and geological research and contains on-site laboratories as well as off-site field research stations.