List of northernmost settlements
(Redirected from Northernmost cities and towns)
The most northern settlements on Earth are communities close to the North Pole, ranging from about 70° N to about 89° N. This is a list showing all of the northernmost settlements on Earth, which are all south of latitude 90° N.
There are no permanent civilian settlements north of 79° N, the furthest north (78.55° N) being Ny-Ålesund, a permanent settlement of about 30 (in the winter) to 130 (in the summer) people on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. Just below this settlement at 78.12° N is Svalbard's primary city, Longyearbyen, which has a population of over 2,000.
When occupied for a few weeks some years, the northernmost temporary settlement in the world is Camp Barneo, a Russian tourist attraction located near 88°11'00" N. As of 2022, it had not been occupied since 2018.[1]
The tables below shows the settlements, towns, and cities that are the northernmost in the world of their kind.
All locations[edit]
| Location | Country | Latitude | Population | Public | Active? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Barneo, Arctic Ocean Ice Sheet | None (International waters) |
88°11' N | 0 | no | no | Latitude as of April 2009 (varies); northernmost temporarily inhabited place. A Russian-founded ice camp. It has not been occupied after 2019. |
| Frigg Fjord Settlements, Peary Land | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
83°7' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of archeological sites including at least one likely inhabited both summer and winter[2] |
| Ward Hunt Island Camp, Nunavut | Canada | 83°06' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base in 1957–58, airstrip, building. Uninhabited as of 2019 |
| Alert, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 82°28' N | 65 (winter minimum) to 110 (summer maximum) | no | yes | Northernmost place with a continuous (year-round) population, but no permanent residents; military and research station (CFS Alert)[3] | |
| Wandel Dal Settlements, Peary Land | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
82°15' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of more than 20 archeological sites, among them several former permanent settlements |
| Brønlundhus, Peary Land | 82°11' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base, 1947 to 1950 | |
| Kap Harald Moltke, Peary Land | 82°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base | |
| Deltaterrasserne, Peary Land | 82°07' N | 0 | yes | no | Archaeological site | |
| Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 81°44' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration camp, 1881 to 1883 and 1957 to 1958 |
| Nord | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
81°43' N | 5 | no | yes | Military and scientific base |
| Nagurskoye, Franz Josef Land | Russia | 80°48' N | 52[4] | no | yes | Border guard facility and meteorological station |
| Krenkel, Franz Josef Land | 80°37' N | 7 | no | yes | Meteorological station | |
| Tikhaya Bay, Franz Josef Land | 80°20' N | 0 | no | no | Former weather station | |
| Eureka, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 79°59' N | 8 | no | yes | Scientific station |
| Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 79°58' N | 0 | no | no | Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police station | |
| Ytre Norskøya, Svalbard | Norway | 79°51'20" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1620s to 1670 |
| Smeerenburg, Amsterdam Island, Svalbard | 79°43'54" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish–Dutch whaling station, 1619 to 1657 | |
| Harlingen kokerij, Danes Island, Svalbard | 79°43'24" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1636 to 1662 | |
| Kobbefjorden, Danes Island, Svalbard | 79°41'42" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish whaling station, 1631 to 1658 | |
| Golomyanniy, Sredniy Island, Severnaya Zemlya | Russia | 79°33' N | 4 | no | yes | Meteorological station |
| Bache Peninsula, Eastern Ellesmere Land, Nunavut | Canada | ca. 79°10 N | 0 | yes | no | Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost 1926 to 1933 |
| Qaqaitsut, Eastern Inglefield Land, NW | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
ca. 79°07'17.14 N | 0 | yes | no | Hunting station and former permanent settlement |
| Inuarfissuaq, Central Inglefield Land, NW | 78°55' N | 0 | yes | no | Former hunting station or permanent settlement | |
| Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard | Norway | 78°55' N | 30 (winter) to 180 (summer) | yes | yes | Northernmost civilian and functional settlement; home to the northernmost post office |
| Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island, Nunavut | Canada | 78°47' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1948 to 1978 |
| Pyramiden (Russian), Svalbard | Norway | 78°39' N | 3 (winter) to 15 (summer) | yes | yes | Former settlement, 1910 to 1998/2000. Peak population over 1200. Now a ghost city for tourists with hotel established in 2013. |
| Annoatok | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
78°33' N | 0 | yes | no | Former hunting station |
| Etah | 78°19' N | 0 | yes | no | Hunting station and former permanent settlement | |
| Longyearbyen, Svalbard | Norway | 78°12' N | 2,400[5] | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement with a permanent population over 1,000 |
| Barentsburg (Russian), Svalbard | 78°04' N | 455 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| North Ice | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
78°04' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1952 to 1954 |
| Sveagruva, Svalbard | Norway | 77°55' N | 0 | yes | no | Former mining town |
| Siorapaluk | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
77°47' N | 41 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in North America and in Greenland |
| Cape Chelyuskin | Russia | 77°44' N | 6 | no | yes | Northernmost point in mainland Siberia (weather station) |
| Qeqertat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
77°29' N | 31 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Qaanaaq (Thule) | 77°28' N | 629 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Camp Century | 77°16' N | 0 | no | no | United States military scientific research base complete with nuclear reactor, active 1959-1967 | |
| Hopen | Norway | 76°54' N | 4 | yes | yes | A meteorological station has been placed there. |
| Pituffik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
76°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, population forcibly relocated to Qaanaaq site in 1952 to make space for nearby Pituffik Space Base; northernmost nuclear-contaminated area in the world after the 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash |
| Dundas | 76°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, population forcibly relocated to Qaanaaq site in 1952 to make space for nearby Pituffik Space Base; northernmost nuclear-contaminated area in the world after the 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash | |
| Grise Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 76°25' N | 144 | yes | yes | Northernmost public settlement in Canada[6] |
| Mould Bay weather station, Prince Patrick Island, Northwest Territories | 76°18' N | 0 | no | no | Former meteorological station, 1948 to 1997 | |
| Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 76°13' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement | |
| Savissivik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
76°01' N | 50 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Resolute, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut | Canada | 74°41' N | 183 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Dundas Harbour, Devon Island, Nunavut | 74°39' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1924 to 1951 | |
| Kullorsuaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
74°34' N | 444 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ikermiut | 74°20' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1954 | |
| Nuussuaq | 74°06' N | 181 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Itissaalik | 74°03' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1904–1909, 1911-1957 | |
| Nordvik, Sakha Republic | Russia | 74°01' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement and penal colony, 1933 to 1956 |
| Kuuk | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°42' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1972 |
| Nutaarmiut | 73°31' N | 43 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Dikson, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 73°30' N | 319 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Russia. Northernmost continental (i.e. non-insular) settlement. |
| Tasiusaq, Avannaata | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°22' N | 249 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Syndassko, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 73°15' N | 531 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Innaarsuit | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°11' N | 171 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Naajaat | 73°08' N | 45 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, Nunavut | Canada | 73°02' N | 994 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ust-Olenyok, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°59' N | 27 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Aappilattoq, Avannaata | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°53' N | 149 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Novorybnaya, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 72°50' N | 490 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Yuryung-Khaya, Sakha Republic | 72°48' N | 1,179 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Upernavik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°47' N | 1,090 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, Nunavut | Canada | 72°42' N | 1,555 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Taymylyr, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°37' N | 755 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Summit Camp | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°34' N | 5 (winter) to 45 (summer) | no | no | year-round research station at the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
| Kangersuatsiaq | 72°22' N | 141 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Zhdaniha, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 72°10' N | 195 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Upernavik Kujalleq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°09' N | 201 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Bykovskiy, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°00' N | 513 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Khatanga, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°59' N | 2,645 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Sachs Harbour, Banks Island, Northwest Territories | Canada | 71°59' N | 104 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ushakovskoye, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug | Russia | 71°59' N | 0 | yes | yes | Former settlement on Wrangel Island. Now used as nature reserve HQ |
| Saskylakh, Sakha Republic | 71°57' N | 2,317 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Kresty, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°54' N | 275 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Sklad, Sakha Republic | 71°54' N | 10 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Popigay, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°53' N | 319 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Yukagir, Sakha Republic | 71°46' N | 128 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Novaya, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°45' N | 266 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Vorontsovo, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°41' N | 253 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Tiksi, Sakha Republic | 71°39' N | 4,440 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Rogachevo, Novaya Zemlya | 71°36' N | 330 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Kheta, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°34' N | 362 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nuugaatsiaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami caused by a landslide |
| Belushya Guba, Novaya Zemlya | Russia | 71°32' N | 1,972 | yes | yes | Main settlement on Novaya Zemlya |
| Kayak, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°30' N | 57 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nizhneyansk, Sakha Republic | 71°26' N | 218 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Utqiaġvik, Alaska | United States | 71°18' N | 4,927 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in the United States, formerly Barrow |
| Katyryk, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 71°16' N | 367 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Illorsuit | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°14' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami |
| Eismitte | 71°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1930–31 | |
| Skarsvåg, Finnmark | Norway | 71°08' N | 141 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Norway proper |
| Russkoye Ustye, Sakha Republic | Russia | 71°07' N | 118 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Gamvik (village), Finnmark | Norway | 71°03' N | 228 | yes | yes | Village |
| Ukkusissat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°02' N | 144 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Mehamn, Gamvik, Finnmark | Norway | 71°02' N | 692 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Akkarfjord, Finnmark | 70°79' N | 77 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Havøysund, Finnmark | 70°59' N | 947 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Honningsvåg, Finnmark | 70°58' N | 2,237 | yes | yes | City | |
| Volochanka, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 70°58' N | 436 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ust-Yansk, Sakha Republic | 70°54' N | 257 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Gyda, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 70°53' N | 3,610 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Berlevåg, Finnmark | Norway | 70°51' N | 867 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat |
| Naiba, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°50' N | 473 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Saattut | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°48' N | 259 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Khayyr, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°48' N | 419 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Skjånes, Finnmark | Norway | 70°48' N | 60–70 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Niaqornat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°47' N | 34 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kazache, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°45' N | 1,188 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ulukhaktok, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories | Canada | 70°44'N | 408 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Qaarsut | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°43' N | 161 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kongsfjord, Finnmark | Norway | 70°43' N | 32 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Forsøl, Finnmark | 70°43' N | 213 | yes | yes | Village | |
| Kyusyur, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°41' N | 1,345 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Uummannaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°40' N | 1,407 | yes | yes | Town |
| Hammerfest, Finnmark | Norway | 70°39' N | 11,310 | yes | yes | City |
| Wainwright, Alaska | United States | 70°38' N | 628 | yes | yes | Town |
| Rypefjord, Finnmark | Norway | 70°38' N | 1,775 | yes | yes | Village |
| Båtsfjord, Finnmark | 70°38' N | 2,151 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat | |
| Chokurdakh, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°37' N | 1,832 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kårhamn, Finnmark | Norway | 70°32' N | 22 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ikerasak | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°30' N | 229 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ittoqqortoormiit | 70°29' N | 352 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Atqasuk, Alaska | United States | 70°28' N | 276 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Prudhoe Bay, Alaska | 70°19' N | 1,310 | yes | yes | Census-designated place Northern end of the Alaskan Pipeline | |
| Alpine, Alaska | 70°14' N | 250 | yes | yes | Work camp; former census-designated place; oil discovered in 1996 | |
| Nuiqsut, Alaska | 70°12' N | 512 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Deadhorse, Alaska | 70°12' N | 25 to 50 (permanent) to 3,000 (temporary) | yes | yes | Northernmost point on Western Hemisphere road network | |
| Kaktovik, Alaska | 70°07' N | 283 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nuorgam, Lapland | Finland | 70°05' N | 200 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Finland and European Union |
| Saqqaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°00' N | 160 | yes | yes | Settlement - site name for the Saqqaq culture |
Cities and towns[edit]
This is a list of the northernmost cities and towns in the world.
Larger cities[edit]
Northernmost cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The population data may include municipalities, urban areas or metropolitan areas.
Northernmost cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants.
| City | Population | Latitude/longitude |
|---|---|---|
| Murmansk, Russia | 270,384 | 68°58′N 33°05′E / 68.967°N 33.083°E |
| Arkhangelsk, Russia | 301,199 | 64°32′N 40°32′E / 64.533°N 40.533°E |
| Yakutsk, Russia | 355,443 | 62°02′N 129°44′E / 62.033°N 129.733°E |
| Tampere, Finland | 252,872 | 61°29′N 23°45′E / 61.483°N 23.750°E |
| Surgut, Russia | 396,443 | 61°16′N 73°24′E / 61.267°N 73.400°E |
| Anchorage, Alaska, United States | 287,145 | 61°13′N 149°53′W / 61.217°N 149.883°W |
| Bergen, Norway | 289,330 | 60°23′33″N 005°19′24″E / 60.39250°N 5.32333°E |
| Espoo, Finland | 306,792 | 60°12′20″N 024°39′20″E / 60.20556°N 24.65556°E |
| Helsinki, Finland | 665,558 | 60°10′15″N 024°56′15″E / 60.17083°N 24.93750°E |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | 5,598,486 | 59°56′15″N 030°18′31″E / 59.93750°N 30.30861°E |
| Oslo, Norway | 709,037 | 59°55′00″N 010°44′00″E / 59.91667°N 10.73333°E |
| Tallinn, Estonia | 437,811 | 59°26′14″N 024°44′43″E / 59.43722°N 24.74528°E |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 987,661 | 59°19′46″N 018°04′07″E / 59.32944°N 18.06861°E |
See also[edit]
- Southernmost settlements
- Extreme points of Earth
- List of northernmost items
- List of research stations in the Arctic
References[edit]
- ^ Becker, Kraig (8 March 2022). "Barneo Ice Camp Closed for Fourth Year in a Row". The Adventure Blog. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ Bjarne Grønnow, Jens Fog Jensen: The Northernmost Ruins of the Globe. Eigil Knuth’s Archaeological Investigations in Peary Land and Adjacent Areas of High Arctic Greenland (= Man & Society. Vol. 29). Museum Tusculanums Forlag, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen 2003, ISBN 978-87-635-3065-1 pp. 219–237
- ^ "Canadian Forces Station Alert". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ^ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany. "ARKTIS: Reich in der Kälte".
- ^ a b Dickie, Gloria (1 June 2021). "The World's Northernmost Town Is Changing Dramatically". Scientific American. 324 (6): 44–53. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0621-44 (inactive 31 January 2024). Archived from the original (Original title: "The Polar Crucible") on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link) - ^ "Grise Fiord, Nunavut, drone video shows beach in Canada's northernmost community". CBC News. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2019.