Aavasaksa - where Finland meets Sweden: Nature and History

Overview

Due to Aavasaksa's distinctive elevation above other nearby hills, it was first used by Pierre Louis Maupertuis in the French Geodesic Mission (1736–1737), and later became part of the Struve Geodetic Arc. As a result of this, UNESCO named Aavasaksa a World Heritage Site, along with the 33 other sites used in the Struve Geodetic Arc. Aavasaksa is often considered the southernmost point in Finland where the midnight sun is literally visible. The hill is surrounded by rivers running next to it: Torne River to the west and the smaller Tengeliö river to the east and north. Övertorneå or Ylitornio is a locality and the seat of Övertorneå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 1,917 inhabitants in 2010. Övertorneå means Upper Torneå, based on a division of the Torneå parish in two parts in the 16th century. We will see old church, the building of old railway station and very nice landscape.