P232 - Finland - Maria's Day festival in Lapland

Traditional Lapp costumes are still worn during Maria's Day festival, Lapland, Finland

The Province of Lapland (Finnish: Lappi; Northern Sami: Lappi; Swedish: Lappland) is one of the Provinces of Finland. The municipalities in the province cooperate in a Regional Council, which also makes it the Region of Lapland. It borders the Province of Oulu and the Region of North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders to the Gulf of Bothnia, Norrbotten County in Sweden, Finnmark County and Troms County in Norway and to Murmansk Oblast in Russia. In some parts of the world, particularly Britain and Finland itself, it is considered the traditional home of Santa Claus (Joulupukki).

Lapland is the home of about 3.6% of Finland's population, and is by far the least densely populated area in the country. The biggest towns in Lapland Province are Rovaniemi (the provincial capital), Kemi, and Tornio. Of the more than 185 000 inhabitants, less than 5% are Sami people.

拉普蘭省，又稱拉皮省 （芬蘭語、薩米語：Lappi；瑞典語：Lappland）是芬蘭的一個省，位於該國北部。面積98,946平方公里，2002年人口187,777人。首府羅瓦涅米。

拉普兰省是一片神奇的土地，位于北极圈内，占芬兰总面积的四分之一。特殊的地理位置与严酷的气候条件，令这片人烟稀少的地区至今保持着神奇而迷人的色彩。清新的空气、纯净的旷野、质朴的民俗，使这里成为世界上仅剩不多的未被污染与破坏的地区。全年都有壮阔的风光任你畅游，著名的有夏季的午夜太阳与冬季的北极光。
拉普兰德不仅是拉普人与驯鹿的家园，也是圣诞老人的故乡。

References sources : wikipedia,Love Destiny