Seiland-Nationalpark
The Seiland National Park (Norwegian Seiland nasjonalpark, North Sami Sievjju álbmotmeahcci ) is a Norwegian national park on the island of Seiland. He belongs to the municipalities Alta, Hammerfest and Kvalsund in Western Finnmark. The park was opened on 8 December 2006 at with its distinctive biodiversity, geology and cultural heritage to preserve the alpine coastline and protect.
The total area is 316.3 km ², the land area makes up only 306.7 km ². The island is Seiland after Sørøya the second largest island in Finnmark.
Geography, landscape and geology
The landscape in the park proves to be very varied, because the park covers next to the fjords and coastal scenery on the low mountain range on the island, and even includes the two glaciers Seilandsjøkelen and Nordmannsjøkelen. The latter are both the two northernmost glacier in Norway, as well as with 940 or 1,040 moh moh the lowest glacier in Scandinavia. The highest mountain in the park is 1,079 meters with the Seilandstuva.
The two largest fjords Store Kufjord and Jøfjord which lie to the south of the island, both of which run in a north-south direction. In the West, among the glaciers of the highest mountains of the park, which often also fall steeply to the sea. Southeast of the Seilandsjøkelen there is a high plateau through which the Melkelva flows.
Flora and Fauna
In the southern part of the National Park of the soil is very fertile, so there is a varied vegetation with rare alpine plants such as Small chickweed, Phippsia algida and Arctic poppy there.
The steep mountains to the west provide a large bird of prey stock. The common game species are white-tailed eagle, falcon, Merlin, Kestrel and rough-legged buzzard. Along the coastline there are small colonies of gulls, plover -like birds, gray geese, eiders and guillemots.
The most common mammals are otters, rabbits and martens. In summer, numerous reindeer roam through the park.
Heritage
There are cultural relics from different eras and cultures on the island. Finds from the Stone Age and Iron Age evidence of an early settlement of the island. In almost every fjord arm were found remains of settlements, which were partially dated to the year 180 AD. To date, the territory will be used in and around the national park as grazing land for the reindeer of the seeds in the summer.
Tourism and Management
In the park there are some non-marked trails and several cabins for overnight stays. There are no roads in the vicinity, however, but a ferry from Akkarfjord, near Hammerfest, after Kjerringholmen in the north Seilands. A second ferry runs from Hammerfest to Øksfjord near Altneset in the south of the island.