( se, Áltá ; fkv, Alattio; fi, Alattio) is the most populated

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the town of Alta. Some of the main villages in the municipality include Kåfjord,

Komagfjord Komagfjord is a village in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Altafjorden on a fairly isolated peninsula in the northeastern part of the municipality. There is one ferry connection to the re ...

Kvenvik or is a village in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in an inlet on the inner part of the Altafjorden, about from the town of Alta. It has a population (2012) of 194. On 31 August 2019, a sightseeing helico ...

, Langfjordbotn,

Leirbotn Leirbotn is a village in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Altafjorden, about west of the European route E06 highway in the northeastern part of the municipality of Alta. The village, togeth ...

Rafsbotn or is a village in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village sits at the southeast end of the Altafjorden, along the European route E6 highway, about northeast of the town of Alta. The name comes from the Sami plac ...

, Talvik, and

Tverrelvdalen or is a village area in the Tverrelvdalen valley in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is a suburb to the southeast of the town of Alta. The river ''Tverrelva'' runs through the valley and village area. The village ha ...

. Downtown Alta is located just below the 70th latitude and is closer to the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

than it is to much of

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

and the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. The town is the northernmost settlement of urban significance in the European Economic Area, with municipalities north of it being sparsely populated. In spite of its high latitude the local climate is seldom severy cold thanks to

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Current, North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida a ...

moderation in the prevailing wind. As a result of its shielded position leading to mild summers, the coastal areas of the municipality are warm enough to enable forestation. Due to Norway curving above its Nordic neighbours, Alta is located further east than almost all of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and much of southern

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. Being at a very high latitude,

midnight sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, t ...

and polar night are present for sizeable parts of the year. The municipality is the 7th largest municipality by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Alta is the 60th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,144. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has increased by 9.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of

Alten-Talvig Alta-Talvik or Alten-Talvig is a former municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1863. It was located along the Altafjorden and the river Altaelva with the same borders as the present ...

was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). On 1 January 1863, the municipality was divided into two: Talvik to the north (population: 1,938) and Alta to the south (population: 2,442). On 1 January 1964, the two municipalities were merged back together to form the new, larger municipality of Alta. Prior to the merger, Alta had 6,629 residents and Talvik had 3,266 residents. The borders have not changed since that time. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

county.

Name

The municipality is probably named after the local Altafjorden. The name possibly comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

(''ǫlpt'' or ''alpt'') which refers to a

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

or it is a Norwegianization of the Finnish word (''alaattia'') which refers to a "lowland". Prior to 1918, the name was written ''Alten''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 9 July 1976. The arms show a white

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

point Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

on a blue background. The arrow is derived from the findings of

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

arrow points dating back to the late

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

and found in the area. The quartzite was quarried in the municipality and tools made from it were used all over

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has two parishes () within the municipality of Alta. It is part of the

Alta prosti Alta or ALTA may refer to: Acronyms * Alt-A, short for Alternative A-paper, is a type of U.S. mortgage * American Land Title Association, a national trade association representing the land title industry * American Literary Translators Associatio ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland ( no, Nord-Hålogaland bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms og Finnmark county as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø ...

History

The rock carvings at Alta, located near the

Jiepmaluokta ''Hjemmeluftbukta'' ( Northern Sámi: ''Jiepmaluokta'') is a bay in Alta Municipality, Finnmark, Norway. It is the main site for the rock carvings at Alta with about 3,000 individual carvings (petroglyphs). The bay lies on the southwestern edge ...

bay, dating from c. 4200 BC to 500 BC, are on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

list of

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s. The Komsa culture was named after the Komsa mountain in Alta municipality, where the first

archeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

remains of this culture were discovered. In the aftermath of the Sami

Kautokeino rebellion The Sami revolt in Guovdageaidnu, also known as the Kautokeino uprising, was a revolt in the town of Kautokeino in northern Norway in 1852 by a group of Sami who attacked representatives of the Norwegian authorities. The rebels killed the local ...

of 1852, rebel leaders Mons Aslaksen Somby and Aslak Jacobsen Hætta were decapitated at

Elvebakken Elvebakken is one of the three boroughs that make up the town of Alta in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located along the Altafjorden at the delta of the river Altaelva. It makes up the eastern part of the town. The Europe ...

in what is now the town of Alta on 14 October 1854. Their bodies were buried in graves just outside the

Kåfjord Church Kåfjord Church ( no, Kåfjord kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Gáivuotna–Kåfjord Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Olderdalen. It is the church for the Kåfjord parish whic ...

graveyard in the village of Kåfjord in Alta, but their heads were sent on to the ''Anatomisk Institute'' at the Kong Medical Frederiks University in Oslo, where they were kept for more than a century as part of the university's skull collections. The two skulls were only relinquished by the university in 1985, following a controversy and protests by Sami activists, and were in November 1997 buried at the Kåfjord Church in Alta, at the same spot as their bodies were buried over 140 years earlier. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' used the Kåfjorden, an arm of Altafjorden, as a

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

, and was damaged here by attacking

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

warplanes. The town Alta was seriously destroyed by fire near the end of the World War II. It was rebuilt in subsequent years. The '' Altasaken'' in 1979 made headlines for weeks, as many people (especially

Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise net ...

and environmentalists) demonstrated and used civil disobedience to prevent the building of a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

on the river

Altaelva Altaelva ( en, Alta River; sme, Álttáeatnu; fkv, Alattionjoki) is the third-longest river in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The river begins in the mountains and lakes in Kautokeino Municipality, near the border with Troms og Finnmark coun ...

in order to produce

hydropower Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...

. The dam was built, however, and the river still offers good

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

fishing. The

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdoms ...

usually visits the river once in the summer to fish. The urban area made up of

Bossekop fi, Possukoppa , native_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = Part of town , image_skyline = Ipy-bossekop-fig1.jpg , image_caption = View of the village (1887-1888) , pushpin_map = Fi ...

, and Bukta, also known collectively now as the town of Alta, became a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

on 1 January 2000. The population has been growing steadily for many years. On 31 August 2019, a sightseeing helicopter

crashed "Crashed" is the third U.S. rock single, (the fifth overall), from the band Daughtry's debut album. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on September 5, 2007. Upon its release the song got adds at those stations, along with some Alternativ ...

in the mountains of south of Alta.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Alta, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. The municipality falls under the Alta District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Alta is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

Alta is the second northernmost city in the world surpassing 10,000 inhabitants. Alta municipality covers , in the west of the county, mostly situated along the Altafjord, taking in large tracts of

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

s, as well as parts of the High Plateau of Finnmarksvidda. On its way from the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

down to the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

, the river

has carved out the

Sautso Sautso ( sme, Čávžu), also referred as Alta Canyon, is a canyon (valley) along the river Altaelva in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The valley is located in Alta Municipality, just north of the border with Kautokeino Municipality. The canyon ...

canyon, one of the largest

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

s in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The large Altafjorden has several notable bays and fjord arms that branch off from it including Langfjorden,

, Kåfjorden, and

Lille Kufjorden or is a fjord on the south side of the island of Seiland in Alta Municipality, Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The fjord is about long, emptying into the Rognsundet strait on the south end of the fjord. The mouth of the fjord is between Jun ...

. Alta is based on the mainland of Norway, but it also includes parts of the islands of

Stjernøya Stjernøya ( sme, Stierdná) is an island in western Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island sits at the mouth of the Altafjorden on the south side of the Sørøysundet strait. It is divided among the municipalities of Loppa, Hasvik, and A ...

and

Seiland Seiland ( sme, Sievju) is the eighth largest island in mainland Norway, located in Troms og Finnmark county. The island is divided between the municipalities of Alta and Hammerfest Archeological excavations have shown that people have lived ...

. Seiland is the home of

Seiland National Park Seiland National Park ( no, Seiland nasjonalpark) lies in Alta Municipality and Hammerfest Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The park includes the majority of the island of Seiland, the second largest island in Finnmark after Sør� ...

where the

Seilandsjøkelen Seilandsjøkelen ( sme, Nuortageašjiehkki) is a glacier that is located on the island of Seiland in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The glacier is located in the municipalities of Hammerfest Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a munic ...

glacier and the mountain

Seilandstuva Seilandstuva is the highest mountain on the island of Seiland in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of Alta Municipality and Hammerfest Municipality, and it is inside Seiland National Park. The Seilandsjøkele ...

are located. Several of the notable lakes in Alta include

Iešjávri Iešjávri (or IesjavriVarious Sami and Norwegian language terms distinguish different types of lakes. The name ''Jávrre'': (Lule Sami) or ''jávri'' (Northern Sami) is used as a suffix for larger lakes.) is a large lake on the border of the th ...

Juovvajávri or is a lake in Alta Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The lake lies on the Finnmarksvidda plateau about northeast of the lake Stuorajávri and about northwest of the large lake Iešjávri. See also *List of lakes in Norway ...

, Kovvatnet, and Stuorajávri. In 2020, a landslide took 8 houses.

Climate

Most people live in the town of Alta, stretching along the inner part of the fjord. Alta has a sheltered

boreal climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Dfc) with long and dark winters, but still much less cold than expected for latitude 70 North. Daytime mid-summer temperatures are often fairly similar to coastal southern Norway, and lowland areas in Alta are mostly sheltered from the winter storms, which can be strong on the coast north of Alta. The mean annual temperature is and the Alta valley does not have

permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...

but is dominated by closed-canopy forest of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

. Precipitation is low, with a yearly average precipitation of only . The frequent clear skies are the reason why Alta early was chosen as an excellent location for studying the aurora borealis. The "

" is above the horizon from 18 May to 27 July, lasting a bit longer than the polar night from 26 November to 16 January. The average date for the first overnight freeze (below ) in autumn is September 25 at Alta Airport (1981-2010 average).

Transportation

Alta is a transportation center in Finnmark.

Alta Airport Alta Airport ( no, Alta lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Alta, a town and municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The airport is located at Elvebakken, east of the city center. It has a single, runway numbered 11/29, ...

served 334,132 passengers in 2009. There are direct flights to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

, Vadsø,

Kirkenes Kirkenes (; ; Skolt Sami: ''Ǩeârkknjargg;'' fi, Kirkkoniemi; ; russian: Киркенес) is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town ...

, Båtsfjord and

Mehamn Mehamn ( sme, Donjevuotna; fkv, Meehamina) is the administrative centre of Gamvik Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located on the small Vedvik peninsula, itself part of the greater Nordkinn Peninsula, at the sou ...

. The town of Alta also has

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

facilities in the town center, and

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

passes through Alta. The distance to southern Scandinavia is considerably shorter over European route E45 and northern Finland.

Economy

Main activities in Alta include trading, small industry, education, and public service. The town is also famous for its

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

industry. Finnmark University College ( no, Høgskolen i Finnmark) is situated in Alta, and there is also a research institution (Norut NIBR Finnmark). The town has the northernmost

ice hotel An ice hotel is a temporary hotel made up of snow and sculpted blocks of ice. Ice hotels, dependent on sub-freezing temperatures, are constructed from ice and snow and typically have to be rebuilt every year. Ice hotels exist in several countri ...

in Europe.

Sports

Alta is home to the

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

Alta IF. Cross-country skiing is very popular. Alta also has clubs for handball, track and field, alpine skiing, ice skating, taekwondo, and judo. The bicycle race Finnmark Offroad, with 700- and 300-kilometer long courses, starts and ends in Alta (). Alta is the starting point for the

Finnmarksløpet Finnmarksløpet is the world's northernmost sled dog race. It is also Europe's longest sled dog race. The race starts on Saturday of the 10th week of the year and goes across Finnmark in Norway. The race was first run in 1981. Open Class Daily ...

, a 500- and 1000- kilometer sled dog race—The longest sled dog race in Europe.

Notable residents

Testspiel RB Salzburg Rosenborg Trondheim (5

Henry Woodfall Crowe Henry Woodfall Crowe (April 29, 1832 – November 7, 1865) was a British-Norwegian interpreter, translator, and author. Biography Crowe was born in Kåfjord, Norway, the son of John Rice Crowe (1795–1877) and Malene Marie Waad (1802–1843). ...

(1832 in Kåfjord–1865) British-Norwegian interpreter, translator and author *

Karl Akre Karl Edvard Pedersen Akre (26 March 1840 – 14 March 1912) was a Norwegian educator and politician for the Liberal Party of Norway, Liberal Party. He was born in Alta, Norway, Alta, and graduated as a teacher from Tromsø Seminary in 1862. He sta ...

(1840 in Alta – 1912) a Norwegian educator and politician *

Gustav Lund Gustav Fridtjof Lund (18 April 1862 – 26 February 1912) was a Norwegian Sámi travelling preacher, known as the "sled preacher". In 1898, he became the first editor-in-chief of the '' Nuorttanaste'' Christian newspaper, which is currently the ...

(1862 in Talvik – 1912) a Sámi travelling preacher, known as the ''sled preacher'' *

Egil Rasmussen Egil Rasmussen (28 April 1903 – 18 June 1964) was a Norwegian writer, literature critic and pianist. Rasmussen was born in the village of Bossekop in Alta, Norway. He grew up in Tromsø after Rasmussen's family moved to the city when he was 3 y ...

(1903 in Bossekop – 1964) a Norwegian author, literature critic and pianist * Kirsten Osen (born 1928 in Alta) a Norwegian anatomist,

otologist Otology is a branch of medicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear (hearing and vestibular sensory systems and related structures and functions) as well as their diseases, diagnosis and treatment. Otologic ...

and academic * Johan Kjelsberg (1931 in Alta – 2012) a Norwegian stage actor *

Henny Moan Henny Moan (born 22 February 1936) is a Norwegian actress from Finnmark. She has had a long career in theatre, but is best known for her roles in certain classics of Norwegian cinema, such as the Oscar-nominated '' Nine Lives'' (1957) and '' Lake ...

(born 1936 in Talvik) a Norwegian stage and cinema actress * Einar M. Bull (born 1942 in Alta) a Norwegian diplomat *

Tove Bull Tove Bull (born 31 October 1945) is a Norwegian linguist. Born in Alta, Bull was appointed associate professor at the University of Tromsø in 1984, and was promoted to professor in 1990. Bull served as pro rector from 1990 to 1995, and then bec ...

(born 1945 in Alta) a Norwegian linguist and academic *

Mikkel Gaup Mikkel Mathis Gaup (born 16 January 1968) is a Sámi Norwegian film and stage actor. He is best known for his acting debut in the film ''Pathfinder'', directed by his uncle Nils Gaup, and he has also appeared in a number of other productions, incl ...

(born 1968 in Alta) a Sámi Norwegian film and stage actor *

Laila Davidsen Laila Davidsen (born 28 January 1974) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress and Conservative parties. She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Finnmark during the terms 2009–2013 and 2013–2017. In ...

(born 1974 in Alta) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Alta 2011 to 2015 * Inger Elin Utsi (born 1975) a Norwegian-Sami politician and actor, lives in Alta *

Tommy Wirkola Tommy Wirkola (born 6 December 1979) is a Norwegian film director and writer. Career His first film was 2007's '' Kill Buljo'', which he co-wrote with Stig Frode Henriksen. They later made the 2009 horror comedy ''Dead Snow''. In 2010 they agai ...

(born 1979 in Alta) a Norwegian film director, producer and screenwriter of Finnish heritage

Sport

* Bjørn Wirkola (born 1943 in Alta) a Norwegian former ski jumper *

Ove Wisløff Ove Wisløff (born 20 April 1954) is a Norwegian former breaststroke swimmer. He competed in the 100 m and 200 m events at the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cult ...

(born 1954 in Alta) former breaststroke swimmer, competed at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

Jarle Pedersen Jarle Pedersen (born 15 June 1955) is a retired Norwegian speed skater and the retired coach of the Norwegian speed skating team. He is from Kåfjord in Alta, Finnmark, but resides in Bjørnafjorden outside Bergen. Pedersen competed in the 1980 W ...

(born 1955 in Kåfjord) a retired speed skater and current coach of the Norwegian speed skating team *

Morten Giæver Morten Giæver (born 20 May 1982) is a Norwegian football midfielder who most recently played for Moss FK. Career He was born in Alta, but moved to Tromsø at the age of two. As a footballer he came through the youth system of Tromsø IL; made h ...

(born 1982 in Alta) a Norwegian football midfielder with over 350 club caps *

Trond Fredrik Ludvigsen Trond Fredrik Ludvigsen (born 22 June 1982 in Alta) is a Norwegian footballer. He debuted in the Norwegian Premier League for Bodø/Glimt at the age of 16 years and 314 days, and as such he is one of the youngest players to appear in this lea ...

(born 1982 in Alta) a Norwegian footballer with nearly 200 club caps *

Tore Reginiussen Tore Reginiussen (born 10 April 1986) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays for Alta. Reginiussen has previously played for the clubs Tromsø, Schalke 04, Lecce, OB, Rosenborg and FC St. Pauli and has been capped playing for Norway. ...

(born 1986 in Alta) a Norwegian footballer with over 350 club caps *

Mads Reginiussen Mads Reginiussen (born 2 January 1988) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ranheim. He signed a contract with Tromsø in 2009 and made his debut on 24 May 2009 against Lyn, a game they won 1-0. He was loaned out to Ranheim i ...

(born 1988 in Alta) a Norwegian footballer with over 300 club caps *

Finn Hågen Krogh Finn Hågen Krogh, born 6 September 1990) is a Norwegian cross-country skier who has competed at FIS Cross-Country World Cup since 2011. Career Krogh was born in Alta. He is of Sami and Norwegian descent. Krogh represents Tverrelvdalen IL. In ...

(born 1990 in Alta) Norwegian

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

Anna Odine Strøm Anna Odine Strøm (born 17 April 1998) is a Norwegian ski jumper. Her achievements include winning an individual bronze medal in the world championships in 2023, and winning team medals in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Biography Strøm was born in Alta ...

(born 1998 in Alta) a Norwegian ski jumper

Twin towns – sister cities

Alta is twinned with: * Apatity, Russia * Boden, Sweden *

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

, Finland (1948)

References

External links

Alta Tourist Information

Høgskolen i Finnmark (Finnmark University College)

Alta kommune

Finnmarksløpet-the northernmost sled dog race in the world!

Avinor:Alta Airport

Øytun folk high school, Alta. Outdoor life
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark 1863 establishments in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway