Finnmarksvidda (; ) is Norway's largest plateau, with an area greater than .
Geography
From Alta Municipality in the west to the Varanger Peninsula in the east it stretches for approximately , being at least that wide from north to south, extending into
Finland. The southeastern part of the plateau is protected by the Anárjohka National Park. The park opened in 1976.
Some circular lakes in Finnmarksvidda may be remnants of collapsed that developed during stadial of the last deglaciation.
Fauna and flora
The plateau includes extensive
birch woods,
pine barrens,
, and
Glacial lake. Finnmarksvidda is situated north of the
Arctic Circle and is best known as the land of the once
Sami people and their reindeer herds. Their shelters in the
tundra are still used in the winter time.
Climate
Finnmarksvidda, located in the interior of the county has a subarctic climate with the coldest winter temperatures in Norway: the coldest temperature ever recorded was in Karasjok on 1 January 1886. The climate of Kautokeino (307 m) represents the climate of the plateau.
Šihččajávri, 382m, is a weather station by the lake of the same name. It is situated high on the plateau and far inland, approximately from the E45 border crossing with Norway and Finland.
