The province of Lapland is the largest in Finland and covers approximately 30% of the country’s total area. Lapland has a population of 186,400 and the capital, Rovaniemi, has a population of ca. 35,000. The other cities in the province are Kemi, Tornio, and Kemijärvi. The population of the municipality of Sodankylä is ca. 9,500. The whole province consists of 22 municipalities. The province of Lapland is bordered by Russia in the east, Norway in the north, Sweden in the west, and the province of Oulu (or Northern-Pohjanmaa) in the south.

The Sami are the only indigenous people living within the European Union today. Of a total population of about 75.000 Sami, ca. 7000 live in Finland; most live in Norway and some in Sweden. In Finnish Lapland, the municipalities of Enontekiö, Inari, Utsjoki and the northern part of Sodankylä are Sami native districts. Utsjoki is the only one of these where the Sami form the majority of the population. Of the ten different Sami languages, three are spoken in Finland, the most common of these being Northern Sami. The other two Sami languages spoken in Finland are Skolt Sami and Inari Sami.