Rago

Rago National Park was established in 1971 in Nordland county, in northern Norway, and at barely 171 km² it is one of the smallest Norwegian national parks. Its importance, however, exceeds its size: it borders directly on the Swedish parks of Padjelanta, Sarek and Stora Sjöfallet, so that together they form one of the largest continuous protected areas in Europe.

The landscape is rugged and granite. The ground rises abruptly from the fjord to the border plateau, and along the way the water has cut deep gorges and falls, among erratic boulders of colossal size left behind by the ice. The valleys keep pine and birch woodland at lower altitudes and give way to heath and rock higher up.

There are no roads and no facilities inside the park, and access is on foot from the east, following routes that continue into Swedish territory. That cross-border continuity is ecological as well: wolverine, lynx and elk move along the corridor, and the whole constitutes one of the few territories in western Europe where large carnivores have enough space. The park forms part of the reindeer grazing area of Sami communities.