| Sonfjället National Park | |
| Alt Name: | Sonfjällets nationalpark |
| Iucn Category: | II |
| Location: | Jämtland County, Sweden |
| Coords: | 62.2833°N 45°W |
| Area Km2: | 103 |
| Area Ref: | [1] |
| Established: | 1909, extended 1989 |
| Governing Body: | Naturvårdsverket |
Sonfjället, also spelled Sånfjället (in Swedish pronounced as /ˈsôːnˌfjɛlːɛt/;[2] local dialect: Sôna), is a national park situated in Härjedalen, in central Sweden. It was established in 1909, making it one of Europe's oldest national parks. Following a land extension in 1989, it now covers 103km2.
The mountainous area is filled with large boulders, intersected by streaming lakes. Trailing around the mountain area is also a widespread forest area.
The park is noted for the animals living in it: a resident bear tribe, and a large elk tribe. Other animals are also common, including wolves and lynx.
The national park is named after the mountain Sonfjället which reaches 1278m (4,193feet) above sea level. The exact meaning of the word son in this context is not known. It may be related to the Old West Norse word sunna, meaning Sun, and Sonfjället would thus literally mean "the sun fell".[3] This theory has however been disputed and claimed to be inconsistent with the local pronunciation.[4]
From 1919[5] to 2010, the name was officially spelled as Sånfjället, which the governing body thought better represented the pronunciation, however in June 2010, the official spelling was reverted to Sonfjället.[6]