Expedition Route
Karasjok 
Kárášjohka
Location: 69.5° N 25.5° E
Country: Norway
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Karasjok is a Norwegianized form of the Sámi name Kárá_johka. The meaning of the first element is unknown but the last element 'johka' means river. The community sits on the Karasjok River in a low valley below the Finnmarksvidda (the Finnmark plateau; Finnmark highland). This is Norway's largest mountain plateau, with an area greater than 22,000 km2. It lies 650 - 1650 feet (300-500 meters) above sea level. This plateau includes extensive birch woods, pine barrens, bogs and glacially formed lakes, whereas the river valley is covered with pine and birch forest.
Karasjok is the administrative capital of the Norwegian Sami people. The community is the seat of the Sámediggi, the Sámi parliament in Norway also called Sametinget. King Olav V opened the Sami Parliament in 1989. The first President of the Sámi Parliament was Ole Henrik Magga (link) and today Aili Keskitalo is the first woman to head Sametinget. 90% of the 2900 citizens in Karasjok are Sámi in te community is home to many important Sámi institutions such as NRK Sámi Radio, Sámiid Vuorká-Dávvirat - the national museum of Sámi culture and history, the Sámi Art-center and last, and not least - Sápmi, the Sámi Theme park. 80% of the population here is Sámi speaking, and both Sámi and Norwegian are official languages.
In this far northeastern part of Norway, climate is much more continental and dry compared to the typical coastal climate in Norway. Situated in a river valley on this plateau, Karasjok has recorded the coldest official temperature ever in Norway: - 60.5° F (-51.4°C) on January 1., 1886. Lately In January 1999 while the official temperature recording was 60°F (-51.2°C), but unofficially a temperature of -68.8°F (-56°C) was recorded. The warmest temperature ever recorded in the summer is 90.3°F (32.4°C).
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Source courtesy of: Karasjok river valley
