Jämtland is a large land-locked Swedish province in the heart of the Scandinavian peninsula in northern Europe. Jämtland covers an area of 34,009 square kilometres, 8.3 per cent of Sweden's total area and is the second largest province in Sweden. Jämtland stretches 315 kilometers in a north-south direction and 250 kilometers in an east-west direction and is equal in size to Ireland. Jämtland's western border is characterised by kölen (fell) which stretch throughout the province from north to south with branches into the region's southeastern parts. The massif is broken at some places by large valleys stretching to the Norwegian Sea. These valleys have been used for centuries as paths connecting Jämtland to the west. The valleys were particularly trafficked during pilgrimages to Nidaros, the 4th most visited pilgrimage site during the medieval period. No fewer than three pilgrim roads traversed Jämtland. Elevation extremes The entire province is more or less a highland region with the highest peak being Storsylen, a peak in the Sylan mountain range with an elevation of 1,728 meters. This is not the highest peak in the mountain range, as that peak is on the other side of the border. Another large peak in Jämtland Åreskutan (1,420 meters). The lowest point in the province is as low as 35 meters above sea level and is in the eastern part of Jämtland. Geology When the last ice age ended 10,000 BC and when the ice crept back, huge quantities of dirt, stones and boulders were left behind. The material deposited directly by the glacier is referred to as till and is by far the most common compound in Jämtland's soil. As the ice sheet was shrinking, a large ice lake was created in Jämtland, the so-called Central Jamtish Ice Lake. It covered most of what is now Jämtland and bordered the remains of the ice sheet in the east and the Scandinavian Mountains in the west. After a couple of millennia (approximately 7 300 BC), the eastern barrier collapsed and all the melted water broke through and found its way to the Bothnic Sea. Storsjön, "the great lake," is a remnant of this large ice lake. Gerard De Geer considered this event as the year zero in his geological time scale since he saw it as the definite ending of the last ice age. Streams Approximately eight percent of Jämtland's area is covered by water and the