Børgefjell National Park
Encyclopedia
Børgefjell National Park is an inaccessible and undeveloped national park
in Norway
, straddling the border between Nord-Trøndelag
and Nordland
county, with a border to Sweden
. The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for extended periods without seeing another person. The 1447 square kilometres (558.7 sq mi) park was originally established in 1963, and it was enlarged in 1973 and 2003.
and grey mountains with little vegetations, to fertile mountain slopes and marsh
es. The highest mountain peaks are in the west where the bedrock
is primarily dark Børgefjell granite, which gives the landscape its desolate appearance. This is where you will find the highest mountain in the park, Kvigtinden, towering 1699 metres (5,574.1 ft) above sea level. The 1513 metres (4,963.9 ft) tall Jetnamsklumpen
is the tallest mountain in Nord-Trøndelag
, and it is also located in the park. Other places, such as in the Rainesfjellet area, you will find rough stone scree
s without vegetation. Sub-glacial moraine
s cover much of the landscape. There are many lakes, ponds, and raging rivers.
, although in terms of numbers the wolverine
is the most common of
the large predators. Both lynx
and bear
are also found here. The most common small predators are the red fox
, the snow weasel
, the marten
, and the stoat
. It is also possible to catch the occasional glimpse of an otter
.
All of Børgefjell is used for domestic reindeer
grazing. The western, eastern, and southern parts of the national park are mainly used as grazing areas in the summer, while the northern areas are used for grazing all year round. Furthest east there are also reindeer coming in from Sweden
.
controlled the land in Børgefjell right up until the beginning of the twentieth century. They have kept reindeer
in the area for at least 500 years. Sami cultural monuments in the form of settlements and hunting stations can be found both inside the national park and in the border areas around it. The first farms in the area appeared at the end of the 1700s and beginning of the 1800s, and Norwegian settlement increased from then onwards. The first farms were established when there was a shortage of land elsewhere.
word byrgi which means "fort" or "entrenchment". (There might have been some kind of fort here once, possibly to claim tax from the southern Sami people
, and also to protect the border from the Swedes.) The last element is fjell which means "fell
" or "mountain
".
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, straddling the border between Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
and Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
county, with a border to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for extended periods without seeing another person. The 1447 square kilometres (558.7 sq mi) park was originally established in 1963, and it was enlarged in 1973 and 2003.
Landscape
The landscape varies from dramatic peaks of dark graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and grey mountains with little vegetations, to fertile mountain slopes and marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es. The highest mountain peaks are in the west where the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
is primarily dark Børgefjell granite, which gives the landscape its desolate appearance. This is where you will find the highest mountain in the park, Kvigtinden, towering 1699 metres (5,574.1 ft) above sea level. The 1513 metres (4,963.9 ft) tall Jetnamsklumpen
Jetnamsklumpen
Jetnamsklumpen is the highest point of Jetnamfjellet, a mountain on the border of the municipalities of Røyrvik and Hattfjelldal in Norway...
is the tallest mountain in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
, and it is also located in the park. Other places, such as in the Rainesfjellet area, you will find rough stone scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
s without vegetation. Sub-glacial moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
s cover much of the landscape. There are many lakes, ponds, and raging rivers.
Fauna
Børgefjell is best known as the home to the rare Arctic foxArctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
, although in terms of numbers the wolverine
Wolverine
The wolverine, pronounced , Gulo gulo , also referred to as glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, or quickhatch, is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae . It is a stocky and muscular carnivore, more closely resembling a small bear than other mustelids...
is the most common of
the large predators. Both lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
and bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
are also found here. The most common small predators are the red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
, the snow weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
, the marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
, and the stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
. It is also possible to catch the occasional glimpse of an otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
.
All of Børgefjell is used for domestic reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
grazing. The western, eastern, and southern parts of the national park are mainly used as grazing areas in the summer, while the northern areas are used for grazing all year round. Furthest east there are also reindeer coming in from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
History
The Sami peopleSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
controlled the land in Børgefjell right up until the beginning of the twentieth century. They have kept reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
in the area for at least 500 years. Sami cultural monuments in the form of settlements and hunting stations can be found both inside the national park and in the border areas around it. The first farms in the area appeared at the end of the 1700s and beginning of the 1800s, and Norwegian settlement increased from then onwards. The first farms were established when there was a shortage of land elsewhere.
Name
The first element seems to be the Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word byrgi which means "fort" or "entrenchment". (There might have been some kind of fort here once, possibly to claim tax from the southern Sami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, and also to protect the border from the Swedes.) The last element is fjell which means "fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
" or "mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
".