Kiruna Municipality

Infobox_Kommun2
name=Kiruna
fullname=Kiruna kommun
isocode=
capital=Kiruna
governor=
county=Norrbotten County
province=Lapland
arearank=1st
area=19,446.8
areapercent=x.x
population_as_of=2005
populationrank=105th
population=23,254
populationpercent=x.x
populationdensity=1.2





location=67_51_N_20_13_E
locationReadable=67° 51' N 20° 13' E

Kiruna Municipality ("Kiruna kommun") is a Swedish municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is in the town Kiruna.

Kiruna is the northernmost municipality in Sweden, and with 19,446.8 km² is Sweden's geographically largest being as large as the combined area of Sweden's three southernmost provinces Scania, Blekinge and Halland, or slightly smaller than the country of Slovenia.

Meänkieli and Sami have the official status of being minority languages in the municipality.

During the 20th century the mining settlement Kiruna was built in the parish of Jukkasjärvi, at that time a rural municipality in very remote territory. A so called "municipalsamhälle" (which was a kind of borough established within a rural municipality to take care of some matters of urban character) was instituted in 1908. The settlement grew (it even had a tramway system) and it was decided to make it a city. On January 1, 1948 the whole parish of Jukkasjärvi was transformed into the "City of Kiruna". As the vast wilderness around the town itself was included, Kiruna was at that time regarded the largest city municipality in the world. Only a few more cities were instituted in Sweden, the last one in 1951. Instead the differences between the three types of municipalities were diminished and finally abolished all together. In 1971 Kiruna, as all others, became a unitary municipality and at the same time merged with Karesuando.

Geography

Kebnekaise, is Sweden's and Sápmi's highest mountain at FORMATNUM:2117 metres above sea level. There are more than FORMATNUM:6000 lakes in Kiruna municipality, Torneträsk Lake being the largest. Seven rivers run through the municipality, named Kalix River, Torne River, Lainio River, Rautas River and Vittangi River, as well as the Könkämä River and Muonio River which mark the border to Finland. The untouched geography has also been noted with the establishment of Abisko National Park, by the Norwegian border, established as early as 1909.

Localities

Settlements with over 200 inhabitants in 2000.

#Jukkasjärvi 541
#Karesuando 327
#Kiruna 19,148
#Kuttainen 343
#Svappavaara 434
#Vittangi 851
#Övre Soppero 230

There are also several smaller villages scattered across the municipality.

External links

* [http://www.kiruna.se Kiruna] - Official site
* [http://riosur.net/vuele.html?type=h&lat=67.84954060552147&lng=20.237022139640952&zoom=17 Fly over Kiruna using images and the V and Arrow keys]