Torne Valley
Encyclopedia
The Torne Valley or Torne River Valley (Finnish
: Tornionjokilaakso, Swedish
: Tornedalen) lies at the border of Sweden
and Finland
. In 2009 it became one of the Sub-regions of Finland
. It is named after the Torne River
flowing through the valley and into the Gulf of Bothnia
. Geographically the townships and municipalities that make up the area are Haparanda
, Övertorneå
, Pajala
and Kiruna
in Sweden, and Tornio
, Ylitornio
, Pello
, Kolari
, Muonio
and Enontekiö
in Finland. Culturally the Swedish municipality Gällivare
is also considered to belong to Torne Valley due to the large share of Meänkieli
-speaking population in it.
The cultural environment around the River Torne is characterized by agriculture, reindeer farming and fishing.
The Torne valley area was one of the oldest inhabited areas in northern Finland. Archeological excavations have revealed evidence of permanent settlements at least from the 11th century, but there are signs of earlier settlements.
Agriculture has long been practiced on the fertile flooding meadows by the river. Trading routes followed the river and some trading centers were formed. One of the centers since 16th century was the island Oravaisensaari at Vojakkala. Today, the main center is the twin city of Haparanda/Tornio.
The Finnish and Swedish sides of the river were once one cultural entity, as before 1809 they were both parts of Sweden. Once the current border between the two countries had been established, each side of the river has become influenced by the majority culture in its respective country, but still retains some traditional elements. As an example, on the Swedish side of the Torne Valley one still makes types of food, such as rieska, that are usually considered Finnish rather than Swedish.
Many of the towns and villages were built around the river, and some of those were thus split in two when Finland was ceded to Russia in 1809. There are still several villages that have the same name on the Swedish and Finnish sides of the river.
was still the majority language until the 20th century. This is obvious in the many Finnish village and other place names on the Swedish side of the border. The number of Finnish speakers has now declined drastically, because of national Swedish influence and compulsory schooling in Swedish. People in the younger generations mostly have Swedish as their mother tongue.
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The local dialect of Finnish, Torne Valley Finnish or, with a neologism, Meänkieli
, has today been acknowledged as a minority language in Sweden
. The people who speak it are often referred to as Tornedalians
, although this term could also be defined as referring to people living in the Torne Valley, who are not all speakers of Meänkieli. The originally Finnish-speaking land area is far greater than the actual river valley; it extends as far west as Gällivare
. Although confusing from a geographic point of view, this whole area is often referred to as Torne Valley.
The area where meankieli is spoken is also called Meänmaa. Since June 15, 2006, the Tornedalians have their own flag.
carried out the French Geodesic Mission
for measuring the shape of the Earth.
One expedition was sent to Ecuador to perform measurements near the Equator
, another one was sent to Torne Valley to perform measurements near the Arctic Circle
.
The expedition to Torne Valley was led by Pierre Louis Maupertuis
. As Swedish representative, professor Anders Celsius
joined the team. The expedition arrived in Tornio on June 19, 1736 and headed back to France on June 10, 1737. They measured a meridian arc
of approximately one degree
's length – about 111 km. The south end of the arc was at the tower of the church of Tornio, the north end was at the hill of Kittisvaara. By measuring the length of the arc, Maupertuis' team was able to prove that the Earth is, indeed, flattened at the poles
as sir Isaac Newton
had predicted.
The books describing this trip, written by Maupertuis
and Réginald Outhier, have given us much information about the nature and culture of 18th century Lapland, and the books have inspired many travelers to head to Torne Valley.
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
: Tornionjokilaakso, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
: Tornedalen) lies at the border of 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....
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. In 2009 it became one of the Sub-regions of Finland
Sub-regions of Finland
In 2009 Finland is divided into 70 sub-regions . The sub-regions are formed by groups of municipalities within the 19 regions of Finland...
. It is named after the Torne River
Torne River
The Torne River , is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. Approximately half of the river's length is a part of the border between these two countries. It rises at Lake Torne near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of into the Gulf of Bothnia...
flowing through the valley and into the Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
. Geographically the townships and municipalities that make up the area are Haparanda
Haparanda
Haparanda is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 4,778 inhabitants in 2005. It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland...
, Övertorneå
Övertorneå
Övertorneå is a locality and the seat of Övertorneå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 1,965 inhabitants in 2005.It is located at the shore of the Torne River, opposite to Ylitornio...
, Pajala
Pajala
Pajala is a locality and the seat of Pajala Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 1,985 inhabitants in 2005.-History:Lars Levi Læstadius lived and worked in Pajala Municipality in the middle of the 19th century...
and Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
in Sweden, and Tornio
Tornio
Tornio is a town and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , with a total population of . It borders to the Swedish municipality of Haparanda...
, Ylitornio
Ylitornio
Ylitornio is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Lapland at the shore of the Torne River, opposite to Övertorneå. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Pello
Pello
Pello is a municipality of Finland.It is located approximately north of the Arctic Circle in the western partprovince of Lapland and is part of the Lapland region. The municipality is at the national border with Sweden by the Tornionjoki-river. The municipality has a population of and covers an...
, Kolari
Kolari
Kolari is a municipality of Finland at the Swedish border, which follows the Torne River, the longest free-flowing river in Europe.It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, Muonio
Muonio
Muonio is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
and Enontekiö
Enontekiö
Enontekiö is a municipality in the Finnish part of Lapland with approx. inhabitants. It is situated in the outermost northwest of the country and occupies a large and very sparsely populated area of about between the Swedish and Norwegian border...
in Finland. Culturally the Swedish municipality Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
is also considered to belong to Torne Valley due to the large share of Meänkieli
Meänkieli
Meänkieli is the name used in Sweden for Finnish dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of the country, around the valley of the Torne River....
-speaking population in it.
History and culture
The Torne valley area was one of the oldest inhabited areas in northern Finland. Archeological excavations have revealed evidence of permanent settlements at least from the 11th century, but there are signs of earlier settlements.
Agriculture has long been practiced on the fertile flooding meadows by the river. Trading routes followed the river and some trading centers were formed. One of the centers since 16th century was the island Oravaisensaari at Vojakkala. Today, the main center is the twin city of Haparanda/Tornio.
The Finnish and Swedish sides of the river were once one cultural entity, as before 1809 they were both parts of Sweden. Once the current border between the two countries had been established, each side of the river has become influenced by the majority culture in its respective country, but still retains some traditional elements. As an example, on the Swedish side of the Torne Valley one still makes types of food, such as rieska, that are usually considered Finnish rather than Swedish.
Many of the towns and villages were built around the river, and some of those were thus split in two when Finland was ceded to Russia in 1809. There are still several villages that have the same name on the Swedish and Finnish sides of the river.
Language
On the Swedish side of the valley, FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
was still the majority language until the 20th century. This is obvious in the many Finnish village and other place names on the Swedish side of the border. The number of Finnish speakers has now declined drastically, because of national Swedish influence and compulsory schooling in Swedish. People in the younger generations mostly have Swedish as their mother tongue.
Meänkieli
Meänkieli is the name used in Sweden for Finnish dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of the country, around the valley of the Torne River....
, has today been acknowledged as a minority language in 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 people who speak it are often referred to as Tornedalians
Tornedalians
The Tornedalians are descendants of Finns who in some point in history settled to the areas of today's Northern Sweden near the Torne Valley district and west from there.-History:...
, although this term could also be defined as referring to people living in the Torne Valley, who are not all speakers of Meänkieli. The originally Finnish-speaking land area is far greater than the actual river valley; it extends as far west as Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
. Although confusing from a geographic point of view, this whole area is often referred to as Torne Valley.
The area where meankieli is spoken is also called Meänmaa. Since June 15, 2006, the Tornedalians have their own flag.
French Geodesic Mission
In 1736–1737, the French Academy of SciencesFrench Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
carried out the French Geodesic Mission
French Geodesic Mission
The French Geodesic Mission was an 18th-century expedition to what is now Ecuador carried out for the purpose of measuring the roundness of the Earth and measuring the length of a degree of longitude at the Equator...
for measuring the shape of the Earth.
One expedition was sent to Ecuador to perform measurements near the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, another one was sent to Torne Valley to perform measurements near the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
.
The expedition to Torne Valley was led by Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the Director of the Académie des Sciences, and the first President of the Berlin Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great....
. As Swedish representative, professor Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germany, Italy and France. He founded the Uppsala Astronomical Observatory in 1741, and in 1742 he proposed the Celsius...
joined the team. The expedition arrived in Tornio on June 19, 1736 and headed back to France on June 10, 1737. They measured a meridian arc
Meridian arc
In geodesy, a meridian arc measurement is a highly accurate determination of the distance between two points with the same longitude. Two or more such determinations at different locations then specify the shape of the reference ellipsoid which best approximates the shape of the geoid. This...
of approximately one degree
Degree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
's length – about 111 km. The south end of the arc was at the tower of the church of Tornio, the north end was at the hill of Kittisvaara. By measuring the length of the arc, Maupertuis' team was able to prove that the Earth is, indeed, flattened at the poles
Flattening
The flattening, ellipticity, or oblateness of an oblate spheroid is a measure of the "squashing" of the spheroid's pole, towards its equator...
as sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
had predicted.
The books describing this trip, written by Maupertuis
and Réginald Outhier, have given us much information about the nature and culture of 18th century Lapland, and the books have inspired many travelers to head to Torne Valley.
External links
- Nils Johan's genealogy site - An excellent related website is that of Nils Johan Fosli, a genealogist from Norway whose roots also lie in the Torne valley. Nils Johan is "the" expert on Troms genealogy.
- Släktforkning I Torndalen - Another genealogical website that is specifically about the Torne Valley folk. However, the website narrative is written in Swedish.
- Sveriges Riksdag - Meänkieli - Website of Swedish parliament in the language of Meänkieli.