Kirkenes
| |
|---|---|
View of the town in June 2013 | |
| Coordinates: 69°43′37″N 30°02′44″E / 69.72694°N 30.04556°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Eastern Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Øst-Finnmark |
| Municipality | Sør-Varanger Municipality |
| Established as | |
| Town (By) | 1998 |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.29 km2 (0.88 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 3,404 |
| • Density | 1,486/km2 (3,850/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Post Code | 9900 Kirkenes |
.jpg){kind=link}
Kirkenes (Norwegian; pronounced [ˈçɪ̂rkəneːs] ⓘ), Girkonjárga (Northern Sami; pronounced [ˈkir̥ː.ko.ˌɲaːrːka], or Kirkkoniemi (Kven) is a town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøkfjorden, an arm of the large Varangerfjorden, and is located just a few kilometres from the Norway–Russia border.
The 2.29-square-kilometre (570-acre) town has a population (2023) of 3,404 and a population density of 1,486 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,850/sq mi). When the neighbouring suburban villages of Hesseng, Skytterhusfjellet, Sandnes and Bjørnevatn are all included with Kirkenes, the urban area reaches a population of almost 8,000.
Although Kirkenes is the Norwegian town closest to the Russian border, the town of Vardø to its north is located further east in Norway.