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River

Kalix

River

Kalix is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.

Feature Class
River
Coordinates
67.51°, 21.01°
7.0
Coordinates: 67.5147° N, 21.0131° ECountry: SwedenOpenStreetMap ↗
Kalix, Sweden
Kalix. Image via Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on the file page).

About Kalix

The Kalix River (in Kalix dialect: kölisälva, Swedish: proper Kalix älv or in everyday language Kalixälven, Northern Sami: Gáláseatnu, In Meänkieli the lower part of the river is called Kaihnuunväylä, while the upper part is called Kaalasväylä) is one of the four major rivers of Norrland, northern Sweden, that are untouched by water power constructions. It is 461 kilometres long, flowing up to the Kebnekaise mountain range in Kiruna Municipality. In the southeast it flows through Lappland; and to the south through Norrbotten County, discharging in the Gulf of Bothnia south-east of Kalix.

The Kalix River is the third river by length in Norrbotten, with the Torne River being 522 km and the Lule River being only slightly longer at 460.81 km

Major tributaries are Tvärån, Ängesån and Tärendö River, which is a bifurcation river taking water from Torne River.

Its largest waterfall is Jokkfall, in Överkalix Municipality, around 9 meters high. The river has no big waterfalls and no big lakes, and has therefore not been attractive for hydropower construction.

Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kalix River (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Kalix: Key Facts

Key facts about Kalix
Length461 km
Average discharge289 m³/s
Drainage basin17,900 km²
MouthRepskärsfjärden
TributariesTärendö River, Kaitum river, Ängesån, Teurajoki

Facts from Wikidata Q845520 (CC0).

Major River Dossiers

Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.

Connected Reaches

Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.

Water Bodies in the Catchment

Settlements Along the Reach

Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby

Surrounding Terrain

Kalix: Quick Answers

Where is Kalix?
Kalix is located in Sweden, at 67.5147° N, 21.0131° E.
Are there dams on the Kalix?
No dam on the Kalix is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.