Alta, Norway
Alta (Norwegian: [ˈɑ̂ɫtɑ] ⓘ; Northern Sami: Áltá [ˈaːlːtaː]; Kven: Alattio; Finnish: Alattio) is the most populated municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alta. Some of the main villages in the municipality include Kåfjord, Komagfjord, Kvenvik, Langfjordbotn, Leirbotn, Rafsbotn, Talvik, and Tverrelvdalen.
Alta Municipality
Alta kommune | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Alten herred (historic name) | |
The Northern light cathedral and part of town | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Finnmark within Norway | |
Alta within Finnmark | |
| Coordinates: 69°58′36″N 23°17′45″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Vest-Finnmark |
| Established | 1 Jan 1863 |
| • Preceded by | Alten-Talvig Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Alta |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2015) | Monica Nielsen (Ap) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,848.82 km2 (1,486.04 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3,651.33 km2 (1,409.79 sq mi) |
| • Water | 197.49 km2 (76.25 sq mi) 5.1% |
| • Rank | #7 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 1,149 m (3,770 ft) |
| Population (2025) | |
| • Total | 21,708 |
| • Rank | #59 in Norway |
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (15/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | +9.5% |
| Demonym | Altaværing |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Bokmål |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-5601 |
| Website | Official website |
The town of Alta and most of the municipality is located just below the 70th latitude and is closer to the North Pole than it is to much of Central Europe and the British Isles. The town is the northernmost settlement of urban significance in the European Economic Area, with municipalities north of Alta being sparsely populated. In spite of its high latitude the local climate is seldom severely cold thanks to Gulf Stream moderation in the prevailing wind, and lower altitudes of the municipality are covered with boreal forests. Due to Norway curving above its Nordic neighbours, Alta is located further east than almost all of Sweden and much of southern Finland. Being at a very high latitude, midnight sun and polar night are present for sizeable parts of the year.
The 3,849-square-kilometre (1,486 sq mi) municipality is the 7th largest municipality by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Alta is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,708. The municipality's population density is 5.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (15/sq mi) and its population has increased by 9.5% over the previous 10-year period.