Piteälven

Piteälven

 

a river in northern Sweden. The Piteälven is about 370 km long and drains an area of 11,200 sq km. It rises in the Scandinavian Mountains, near the Norwegian border, flowing out of Lake Peskehaure. It follows a course with many rapids, forming a series of waterfalls, including the Trollforsen, Storforsen, and Fällforsen, before emptying into the Gulf of Bothnia of the Baltic Sea. The mean flow rate is 170 cu m per sec. High water is in May and June. The Piteälven is frozen from December through April. It is used for floating timber. There is a hydroelectric power plant on the river. The seaport of Piteâ is situated near its mouth.