Pite River

(Redirected from Piteälven)

The Pite River (Bidumedno in Pite Sami. Piteälven, Pite älv or Piteå älv in Swedish.) is a river in northern Sweden, flowing through the Norrbotten County. It is one of the four major rivers in Norrland that have been left mostly untouched by water power plants, the river has a single dam at Sikfors approximately 15 km upstream from the sea.[citation needed]

Pite River
The Pite River at Trollforsen in September 2010
Outlining Pite River and the seat of municipalities it crosses.
Native nameBidumedno (Pite Sami)
Location
CountrySweden
Physical characteristics
MouthBothnian Bay
 • coordinates
65°21′52″N 21°19′22″E / 65.36444°N 21.32278°E / 65.36444; 21.32278
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length400 km (250 mi)[1]
Basin size11,285.3 km2 (4,357.3 sq mi)[2]
Discharge 
 • average160 m3/s (5,700 cu ft/s)[1]

It starts in the large lakes in eastern Sweden, such as Tjeggelvas, Vuolvojaure and Labbas, in Jokkmokk Municipality, and flows to the east coast, discharging in the Gulf of Bothnia, in the Piteå Municipality.

It has a length of 400 kilometers, covering an area of 11,200 km².

Its largest waterfall is Storforsen, which has also become the most popular place to visit in Norrbotten. It is located in Älvsbyn Municipality.

See also

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Some of the other large Norrland rivers:

 
Benbryteforsen in Pite river, May 2009.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Piteälven". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 July 2010. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Län och huvudavrinningsområden i Sverige" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. Retrieved 14 July 2010.