Torneälven

(in Finnish, Torniojoki), a river in Sweden, the lower course of which flows along the border between Sweden and Finland. The Torneälven measures 510 km in length, or 565 km if measured from the source of the Muonio, its largest left tributary. It drains an area of 40,240 sq km, including 14,000 sq km of Finnish territory.

The river originates in the Scandinavian Mountains, near the Swedish-Norwegian border. In its upper course it flows through Torneträsk, and then it flows across the plateaus of Lapland, where it forms numerous rapids and waterfalls. It empties into the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea; some of its water enters the Kalixälven basin.

The Torneälven is fed mainly by snow. High water is in spring and summer. The mean flow rate is 380 cu m per sec. The river is frozen from November to May. It is used for floating timber. Near its mouth are the seaports Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden).