The Sami (Lapp) population of Norway (around 30.000) is an ethnic minority with its own language. Within the ethnic group there are two differentiated groups; the Sami from the north and those from the south, who have two different languages.
Approximately half of all the Sami people live in the Finnmark province, and the rest in border regions that extend as far as the south of the country. Along with reindeer herding and fishing, its main activities are agriculture, trade, transport and crafts.
Otherwise, the Sami people are represented in most professional groups in modern society. Their rich and ancient cultural traditions are reflected in music, painting, crafts and their traditional costumes.
Their dialects, customs and other cultural traits are manifested on both sides of the borders between Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.