| Halti | |
|---|---|
| (the mountain peak) | |
 | |
| Location of the mountain | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,365 m (4,478 ft) |
| Prominence | 510 m (1,670 ft) |
| Coordinates | 69°19′22″N21°16′44″E / 69.32278°N 21.27889°E /69.32278; 21.27889[1] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Norway |
| Parent range | Scandinavian Mountains |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | walk about 50 km (30 mi) fromKilpisjärvi in Finland or walk 5 km (3 mi) fromKåfjorddalen in Norway |
| Halti | |
|---|---|
| (the border point) | |
 The highest point of Finland, also a border marker | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,324 m (4,344 ft) |
| Prominence | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Listing | Highest in Finland |
| Coordinates | 69°18′29″N21°15′47″E / 69.30806°N 21.26306°E /69.30806; 21.26306[1] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Norway andFinland |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | walk about 50 km (31 mi) fromKilpisjärvi in Finland or walk 6 km (3.7 mi) fromKåfjorddalen in Norway |
Halti (Finnish:Halti, rarelyHaltiatunturi,Northern Sami:Háldičohkka,Swedish:Haldefjäll) is afell at the border betweenNorway andFinland. The peak (elevation 1,365 m (4,478 ft)) of the fell, calledRáisduottarháldi, is in Norway, on the borderNordreisa Municipality andGáivuotna Municipality (Kåfjord), about one kilometre (5⁄8 mile) north of the border with Finland.[2] The highest point of the fell on the Finnish side is at 1,324 m (4,344 ft) above sea level, and thus the highest point in the country. The Finnish side of Halti belongs to the municipality ofEnontekiö in the province ofLapland.
The highest point in Finland is on a spur ofRáisduottarháldi at 1,324 m (4,344 ft) known asHálditšohkka at the border of Norway. The peak proper is not in Finland; the border marker is on a slope.[3] The highest peak of a mountain that is entirely in Finland isRidnitšohkka, at 1,316 m (4,318 ft) and a few kilometers from Halti.
The reason for the border being the way it is can be traced to a Swedish-Danish border treaty in 1734, whenNorway belonged to Denmark and Finland was part of Sweden. The treaty specifies the border only by some of its biggest natural features like mountains. Thus, international boundary commissions would walk the border and place border markers where it was convenient. The actual border was then agreed to lie on a straight line between these markers, as was the usual practice at the time.[4]
A 55 km (34 mi) trekking path leads fromSaana,Kilpisjärvi to Halti. An easier route goes from a local road (open in summer only) going fromBirtavarre in Norway, around6 km (3+1⁄2 mi) hiking to the highest point in Finland. The route is rocky and not really adapted to hiking.
In 2015, a group of Norwegians began a campaign to give the peak ofHálditšohkka to Finland for its centenary in 2017 by moving the border between the two countries by 200 m (660 ft).[5] The idea gained substantial public support in both countries, and in July 2016 it was reported that the Prime Minister of Norway,Erna Solberg was seriously considering ceding the peak.[6] Norway ultimately chose not to move the border, citing theNorwegian constitution's definition of the country as an "indivisible and inalienable" realm.[7]
Media related toHalti at Wikimedia Commons
