The Barents Region is a name of the land area by the Barents Sea and a bit further south (this region is politically defined), from Nordland in Norway to the Kola Peninsula in Russia. The Barents Region includes the northernmost parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Northwest Russia. Southeastern portion of Barents Sea, the Kola Peninsula and the White Sea. ... Nordland is a county in Norway, bordering Troms and Nord-Trøndelag. ... The Kola Peninsula in relation to Scandinavia, the White Sea, Barents Sea, Lake Onega, Lake Ladoga, and foreign countries. ...

This is a vast region with approximately 6 million people; it is an area as large as France, Portugal, Spain and Germany together, totaling 1,75 million km2, of which 75% of the territory and population is Russian.

Several indigenous peoples and minority groups live in the region, e.g., the Sami, Nenets, Vepsians and Komi.

Nature

The majority of the Barents Region belongs to the temperate conifer zone whereas the Scandinavian mountain chain, the northern parts of the Kola Peninsula, the Nenets Area and Novaja Zemlja are part of the Arctic tundra. The location mainly north of the Arctic Circle gives a period of exotic midnight sun and also long and dark polar nights.

The nature is unique and the environment vulnerable, with wide tundra areas in the north and extensive boreal forests zones in the south. The Barents Region is one of few remaining areas with a relatively pristine natural environment: this implies a high quality of life, but it also entails a great responsibility.

Most of the European Arctic is biologically richer and more productive than other Arctic areas because of the warming effects of sea currents and air masses. Despite low population density, the areas are influenced by several heavy industrial activities.

Source: http://www.barentsinfo.org/

Map of the region: http://www.barentsinfo.org/?deptid=15170

See also

• Finnmark
• Murmansk Oblast
• Lapland