Sápmi (English: Lapland) is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sami people (English: Lapps), located in Northern Europe and stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. On the north it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the west by the Norwegian Sea and on the east by the White Sea. Its part from Finland is named also Lapland, and it is the largest and northernmost region of the country. In continuation it will be just about this Finnish region.
The area of Lapland was split between two counties of the Swedish Realm from 1634 to 1809, when Sweden lost to Russia its eastern part, which became the highly autonomous Grand Principality of Finland. Thus the northern and western areas were transferred to Oulu County, which became Oulu Province. In independent Finland, Lapland Province was separated from Oulu Province in 1938.
During the Interim Peace and beginning of the Continuation War the government of Finland allowed the Nazi German Army to station in Lapland. After Finland made a separate peace with the Soviet Union in 1944, the Soviet Union demanded that Finland expel the German army from her soil. The result was the Lapland War, during which almost the whole civilian population of Lapland was evacuated.
The Germans used scorched earth tactics before they withdrew to Norway, with disastrous consequences for settlements and transport routes in Lapland. Ninety percent of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, was burned to the ground, with only a few pre-war buildings surviving the destruction. After the WWII, Petsamo municipality and part of Salla municipality were ceded to the Soviet Union.
Lapland is the home of about 3.4% of Finland's population, and is by far the least densely populated area in the country, and its population is in decline since 1990. The northernmost municipalities of Lapland where the Sami people are the most numerous, form the Sami Domicile Area. Sami organization exists in parallel with the provincial one. An interesting detail is that most of the gold used to mint Finnish gold coins comes from Lapland.
About the stamp
About the cross-shaped self-adhesives stamp I wrote here.
The second stamp is one of the two issued on May 6, 2011, as the participation of Finland to Europa stamps 2011 - Forests.
References
Lapland (Finland) - Wikipedia
Sender:
Sent from Helsinki (Uusimaa / United States), on 05.07.2012
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