Lake Kilpisjärvi

The Kilpisjärvi [ Kilpisjärvi ] ( Northern Sami Gilbbesjávri ) is a lake in Lapland at the border between Finland and Sweden. He is in the northwest of the Finnish municipality Enontekiö or in the north of the Swedish municipality of Kiruna, close to the borders Finnish- Swedish-Norwegian. At the Finnish shore is the village with the same Kilpisjärvi. The river Könkämäeno, a tributary of the Muonio älv ( Muonionjoki ) arises from the Kilpisjärvi.

The Kilpisjärvi lies at an altitude of 472.8 m above sea level in the foothills of the Scandinavian mountain range and is surrounded by fells like Saana on the eastern shore. The hill Salmivaara protrudes into the Kilpisjärvi and divides the elongated lake in two by a narrow channel connected parts: the actual Kilpisjärvi or Ylinen Kilpisjärvi ( North Sami Bayit Gilbbesjávri ) in the north and the Alajärvi ( Vuolit Gilbbesjávri ) in the south. Taken together, the surface of the lake is 37.33 km ². The maximum depth of Kilpisjärvi is 57 m and 47 m in Alajärvi Ylinen Kilpisjärvi. In the middle of the lake is 19.5 meters deep. Because of the harsh climate of Kilpisjärvi is frozen most of the year: In the long-term average freezes on average on November 7 completely. The banks thaw only toward the end of May until the ice has completely melted, it still takes on average to 19 June.