lappmark
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250px|thumb|Lappmarken (light yellow) on the map of Västerbotten (light and dark yellow), circa 1796 Lappmarken, or Lapland (), was the northern part of the old Kingdom of Sweden inhabited by the Sami people. In addition to the present-day Swedish Lapland, it also covered Västerbotten, Jämtland and Härjedalen, as well as the Finnish Lapland. As a name, it is related to Finnmark, an old Norwegian name for the Sami area. Finn and Lapp are mutually exchangeable old names for the Sami people, but both are now considered offensive.
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- Jämtland, Härjedalen, Medelpad, Ångermanland samt Åsele lappmark, generalkartor.jpg
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250px|thumb|Lappmarken (light yellow) on the map of Västerbotten (light and dark yellow), circa 1796 Lappmarken, or Lapland (), was the northern part of the old Kingdom of Sweden inhabited by the Sami people. In addition to the present-day Swedish Lapland, it also covered Västerbotten, Jämtland and Härjedalen, as well as the Finnish Lapland. As a name, it is related to Finnmark, an old Norwegian name for the Sami area. Finn and Lapp are mutually exchangeable old names for the Sami people, but both are now considered offensive.
Already in the Middle Ages, Lappmarken consisted of "lappmarks" whose Sami people were loosely governed either by the crown or birkarls. The purpose of lappmarks was largely colonial in nature. Originally, each consisted of a river valley with its surrounding areas from the Gulf of Bothnia up to the fjelds. The first lappmarks were: Lycksele lappmark (Ume River valley) Åsele lappmark (Ångerman River valley) Tornio lappmark (Tornio River valley) Piteå lappmark (Pite River valley) Luleå lappmark (Lule River valley) Kemi lappmark (Kemi River valley, separated from Tornio lappmark in 1633)