Norrbotten is the largest county by area in Sweden, covering a quarter of the country. Norrbotten is a county of contrasts. It features Sweden's highest mountain, Kebnekaise, and its deepest lake, Hornavan. At the same time as there is frozen ground in the fells, tourists are pouring into the sea bathing resorts skirting the Gulf of Bothnia. The first towns in the county, Piteå and Luleå, were both founded in 1621.