Hornavan

Hornavan
Hornavan in Sweden
Mape of Lake Hornavan (upper left) in Sweden
Location Swedish Lapland
Coordinates 66°14′N 17°30′E / 66.233°N 17.500°E / 66.233; 17.500Coordinates: 66°14′N 17°30′E / 66.233°N 17.500°E / 66.233; 17.500
Basin countries Sweden
Surface area 252 km2 (97 sq mi)
Max. depth 221 m (725 ft)
Surface elevation 425 m (1,394 ft)
Islands 400 islets
Settlements Arjeplog, Jäckvik

Hornavan ([ˈhuːrnaːvan]) is a lake in northern Sweden. Located in Arjeplog Municipality in the province of Swedish Lapland, administratively known as Norrbotten County, it is the deepest lake in Sweden.

Geography

It is situated among the Scandinavian mountain range, at a height of 425 metres (1,394 ft). The town of Arjeplog is located on its south-western shore. The lake then extends 70 km2 (27 sq mi) northwest up to the town of Jäckvik, containing about 400 islets, many of which have distinguishable flora and fauna. Research on the ecosystems comparing the larger islands with smaller islets in Hornavan and Uddjaur are popular due to their unpolluted environment, and have yielded rewarding results. In June 2005 an international study was published in Nature entitled Effects of species and functional group loss on island ecosystem properties.[1]

On its southern end, the lake attaches with the lake Uddjaure.

The surface area fluctuates between 220 and 283 km2 (85 and 109 sq mi), but some sources give it as constant 251 km2 (97 sq mi); in any case, it is the eighth largest lake in Sweden. With a largest depth of 221 metres (725 ft) it is also the deepest.

The lake has been cultivated for water power. Hornavan, like all lakes in Arjeplog Municipality, has drinkable water.

Fishing

In terms of animal life, it has 5 native species of whitefish: Coregonus pallasii, Coregonus megalops, Coregonus maxillaris, Coregonus nelssonii and Coregonus widegreni (the latter known under the name Valaam), with a sixth, Coregonus maraena, introduced in the 1940s.

The most popular sport-fishing catches are otherwise trouts, which is best done by trolling.

Sources

References

  1. ↑ Wardle, David A.; Zackrisson, Olle (9 June 2005). "Effects of species and functional group loss on island ecosystem properties". Nature.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.