Narvik (originally: Victoriahavn, Northern Sámi: Áhkánjárga, Lule
Sámi: Áhkánjárgga, formerly Kven: Victorianhamina) is the third
largest city and municipality in Nordland - and Northern Norway's
seventh largest city and municipality - by population. As of 1
January 2020, the number of inhabitants in the settlement of Narvik
is 14,092, and in the whole municipality there are about 22,000
after the merger between Narvik municipality, Ballangen municipality
and parts of Tysfjord municipality. The municipality is located in
Ofoten, and borders in the southwest to Hamarøy and in the northwest
to Evenes. In the north, the municipality borders Troms and Finnmark
counties, with the municipalities of Tjeldsund, Gratangen, Lavangen
and Bardu. In the southeast, the municipality borders the two
Swedish municipalities Kiruna and Gällivare.
To its extent
from 2020, Narvik municipality also includes the former
municipalities Ankenes (1884–1974), Ballangen (1925–2019) and parts
of Tysfjord (1869–2019).
Mining has been central to the area
that today constitutes Narvik municipality. In what previously
constituted Ballangen municipality, there are traces of mining
dating back to the 17th century, and the extraction of sulfur,
copper, zinc and nickel has over the centuries left its mark on the
town of Ballangen and the surrounding area until the closure of
Nikkel and Olivin AS's. production in 2002. The longest continuous
production was at Bjørkaasens Gruber (1917-1964). In the town of
Kjøpsvik (former municipal center for the old Tysfjord
Municipality), limestone is still mined for cement production at
Nordcem's plant (formerly Nordland Portland Cement Factory). The
city center Narvik, for its part, has since 1902 functioned as the
most important port for shipping iron ore from LKAB's mines in
Kiruna due to a year-round ice-free port (in contrast to
Bottenvika). Narvik is the port district that loads the second most
tonnage in Norway. Sea, road and rail make the city a distribution
hub for a variety of commodities. Important here is the Arctic Rail
Express; own freight trains via Sweden. This railway connection is
also important for tourism - easy to travel by road to e.g. the
capitals of Sweden and Finland.
Narvik is a school town and
likes to call itself "technology capital" in the region. The city
has a number of upper secondary schools, and is also a university
city from 1 January 2016 after Narvik University College became part
of UiT - Norway's Arctic University. but the municipality has a
decline in population of about 2% per decade. From 1976 to 2017, the
city had a regional airport at Framnes, 2 km from the city center.
The stretch of road to the main route airport at Evenes is 57 km
after Hålogalandsbrua opened in 2018.