Kristiansund (town)

Kristiansund
Christianssund / Fosna
View of the town
Kristiansund
Kristiansund
Coordinates: 63°06′37″N 7°43′40″E / 63.1104°N 7.7279°E / 63.1104; 7.7279
CountryNorway
RegionWestern Norway
CountyMøre og Romsdal
DistrictNordmøre
MunicipalityKristiansund Municipality
Established as 
Ladested1631
Kjøpstad1742
Area
  Total
8.45 km2 (3.26 sq mi)
Elevation
16 m (52 ft)
Population
 (2024)
  Total
18,337
  Density2,170/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Kristiansundar
Kristiansunder
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
6500 Kristiansund

Kristiansund (US: /ˈkrɪsənsʌnd, ˈkrɪstiənsʊn/, Norwegian: [krɪstjɑnˈsʉnː] ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a town in Kristiansund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. The town is located on the islands of Kirklandet, Innlandet, and Nordlandet in the Nordmøre region of the county.

The 8.45-square-kilometre (2,090-acre) town has a population (2024) of 18,337 and a population density of 2,170 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,600/sq mi). Kristiansund is one of the most densely populated cities of Norway, having what is arguably the country's most urban small city centre, due to the relatively small size of the islands on which it is built and the very constricted central harbour/town area of Kirklandet.