Narvik

 

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.