Arvidsjaur Municipality facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arvidsjaur Municipality Arvidsjaurs kommun
Municipality
Arvidsjuar Museum
Coat of arms
Country	Sweden
County	Norrbotten County
Seat	Arvidsjaur
Area
• Total	6,169.66 km2 (2,382.12 sq mi)
• Land	5,699.06 km2 (2,200.42 sq mi)
• Water	470.6 km2 (181.7 sq mi)
	Area as of January 1, 2010.
Population  (June 30, 2012)
• Total	6,599
• Density	1.06959/km2 (2.77022/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	SE
Province	Lapland
Municipal code	2505
Website	www.arvidsjaur.se

Reindeer outside a disco.

Arvidsjaur Municipality (in Swedish: Arvidsjaurs kommun; in Sami: Árviesjávrrien kommuvdna) is a special area in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. It's like a local government area. The main town, or "seat," where the local government is located, is called Arvidsjaur.

History of Arvidsjaur

For a very long time, Arvidsjaur Municipality was home only to the Sami people. They were skilled hunters and fishers, living off the many fish and wild animals in the area. Old discoveries from archaeology show that people have been in this area for thousands of years. The name Arvidsjaur comes from a Sami word meaning "generous water." This was first the name of a nearby lake.

In the 1300s and 1400s, some farmers started to settle here. They would get furs and skins from the hunters. Then, they traded these items with people in southern Sweden. It's believed they traded a lot of them!

Bringing Christianity to Arvidsjaur Municipality was a slow process. This was true for all of Norrland because there weren't many people, the weather was harsh, and distances were long. Some people also believed that Norrland was a place where magicians lived.

The first official settler, Per Käck, didn't arrive in Arvidsjaur until 1577. However, settlers built the first small chapel at the local market in 1560. The first proper church building was opened in 1604.

In the 1800s, a Swedish minister and missionary named Petrus Læstadius collected old stories and myths from the area. His writings help us understand what life was like back then.

Geography of Arvidsjaur

Arvidsjaur Municipality is located about 110 kilometers (about 68 miles) south of the Arctic Circle. This means it's quite far north! It's in the middle of Sweden's northernmost land, called Norrland. It's also part of the larger geographic area known as Lapland. Lapland stretches across the northern parts of Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

The Sami people are a group of native people who mostly live by raising reindeer. Arvidsjaur Municipality still has several Sami villages. To honor the Sami people, a reindeer is shown on the municipal coat of arms.

Towns and Villages

There are three main towns or "localities" in Arvidsjaur Municipality:

The main town, Arvidsjaur, is shown in bold letters.

People in Arvidsjaur

In 2022, there were 6,139 people living in Arvidsjaur Municipality. Out of these, 4,772 were Swedish citizens old enough to vote in elections.