Poster shows a woman in traditional Sami dress with a view of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, in the background. [Photo courtesy of Prints and Photographs. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007678378/]February 6 is National Sami Day. The purpose of the day is to celebrate the Sami, the indigenous people of the northern parts of the Nordic countries–Norway, Sweden, and Finland–as well as the Kola Peninsula of Russia, which is an area known as Sápmi . It is estimated that the Sami have lived there for over 2,000 years. Population estimates for the region range from 80,000 to 150,000, and the area which they inhabit spans over 150,000 square miles.
This national holiday is celebrated among the Sami with flags, singing and festivities; yet, observance of the day is given varied recognition at the national level across the region. In Norway it receives the greatest attention: Norway has legally designated it as a national flag day
![Poster shows a woman in traditional Sami dress with a view of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, in the background. [Photo courtesy of Prints and Photographs. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007678378/]](http://blogs.loc.gov/law/files/2015/02/Woman-in-Sami-dress.jpg)