Øvre Pasvik National Park

Øvre Pasvik National Park
Øvre Pasvik National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Øvre Pasvik National Park logo.svg
Location Sør-Varanger, Finnmark, Norway
Nearest city Kirkenes
Coordinates 69°6′N 28°50′E / 69.1°N 28.833°E / 69.1; 28.833Coordinates: 69°6′N 28°50′E / 69.1°N 28.833°E / 69.1; 28.833
Area 119 km2 (46 sq mi)
Established 1970, enlarged 2003
Governing body County Governor

Øvre Pasvik National Park lies in Sør-Varanger municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The park was opened in 1970 and was originally 63 km². In 2003 the park size was increased to 119 km², at the same time that the adjacent Øvre Pasvik landskapsvernområde, a national protected area, was opened with an area of 170 km².

The national park is part of the Siberian-like taiga that sprawls also to Finland and Russia. In 1992 a twin zapovednik was established by the Russian authorities in Pechengsky District across the border under the name Pasvik State Nature Reserve. The Vätsäri Wilderness Area on the Finnish side was established in 1991. Altogether they form the Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park.

The tripoint Finland-Norway-Russia (Treriksrøysa) lies near the southernmost point of the national park; at that point, not only do three countries meet, but also three different time zones: Russia to the south uses Moscow Time, UTC+4; Finland to the west uses Eastern European Time, UTC+2; and Norway to the north and east of the tripoint uses Central European Time, UTC+1.

The name

The name of the district Pasvik is the first element of the rivername Pasvikelva. This name is a Norwegianized form of Sami Báhčaveaijohka. The meaning of the first element is unknown, the middle element is a shortened form of veadji 'small river' - and the last element is johka 'river' (translated to elva, the finite form of Norwegian elv f 'river'). The word øvre is also Norwegian, with the meaning 'upper' - thus 'the upper part of Pasvik river'.

See also

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