Norrbottens län (Sweden)

Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It is also the largest county by land area, almost a quarter of Sweden's total area. It shares borders with Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast, the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast. The name "Norrbotten" is also used for a province of the same name. Norrbotten province covers only the eastern part of Norrbotten County with the inland mostly belonging to the Swedish Lapland province (Lappland). The capital of Norrbotten is Luleå. Other significant towns include Boden, Kiruna and Piteå. The majority of the population lives in the namesake province, whereas the Lapland part of the county is sparsely populated. Norrbotten covers a larger land area than both Austria and Portugal. The four largest municipalities in Sweden by land area are in the county. Sweden's tallest mountain Kebnekaise and deepest lake Hornavan are both within the county. The vast mountains are the source of northern Sweden's vast river systems running through Norrbotten. The northern part of Norrbotten lies within the Arctic Circle.