The mountain system on the Scandinavian Peninsula of Northern Europe, with a total length of 1700 km and a width of 1300 km, is called the Scandinavian Mountains. The western part of the mountain slopes approaches the North Sea, forming sheer and steep coasts, peninsulas, capes, islands. The steepness and inaccessibility of the mountains are proved by 178 tunnels laid on the section of the Oslo-Bergen railway (Norway).
The eastern part gradually declines and passes into the Norland Plateau. The Scandinavian mountains are highlands, which consist of separate elongated ridges, plateaus, and intramountain depressions. In many places there are leveled surfaces, cut by deep fjords and valleys. The modern relief was formed due to water erosion, the activity of ice, wind and snow.
The mountain range forms numerous fjords, which were formed under the influence of the movement of glaciers. These are sea bays, deeply cutting into the territory of the land, with highrocky shores. As a rule, the depth of the Scandinavian fjords reaches one kilometer.
It is believed that the Scandinavian mountains are low. The maximum peak - Mount Galkhepiggen with a height of 2469 m - is located on the southern slope of the mountain system, in Norway. The highest point in Sweden - Mount Kebnekaise (2111 m) - is located in the northern part of the peninsula. The mountain system of Scandinavia is covered with glaciers, which are considered the largest in the European part. The climate in these parts is moderate, only in the strip of the far north - subarctic.
On the territory of Sweden, in the Scandinavian mountains (in Lapland), there is a large National reserve "Sarek". It was founded in 1909 and covers an area of 194,000 hectares. On this area there are over 90 mountain peaks with a height of 1800 meters. Among them are mountain rivers, waterfalls, gorges and 100 glaciers.
The Scandinavian mountains are penetrated by a dense river network, which is formed by the predominance of a humid maritime climate and the intense dissection of the mountain range. Rivers, as a rule, are short and full-flowing, full of waterfalls and countless rapids. Their maximum filling begins in the spring, mainly from melting snow and heavy rains, less often from glaciers. Due to the high speed of the current, ice does not form on the rivers in winter. These mountains in Europe have a large number of lakes of tectonic-glacial origin.
Where the height of the mountains reaches 1000 meters in the southern part and up to 500 meters in the northern part, the slopes are covered with coniferous taiga forests. Forestwestern slopes alternate with shrub vegetation and peat bogs. In these parts, pines and spruces predominate. Beyond these heights, a belt of birch sparse forests extends to a height of 200 m, which is replaced by a zone of mountain tundra. Local residents use this area for livestock grazing in the summer.
In the eastern part of the mountains broad-leaved and mixed forests prevail. The fauna of the Scandinavian mountains is represented by hares, foxes, elk, reindeer, squirrels, roe deer, seals. Among the birds in the forests there are hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie, on the sea coast and lakes - waterfowl. There are many commercial fish in sea and river waters.
The Scandinavian mountains are rich in deposits of ores of pyrites, copper, iron, lead and titanium. There are oil reserves in the North Sea, offshore.
