# Alta

> settlement in Alta Municipality, Norway

**Wikidata**: [Q3366952](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3366952)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alta_(town))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/alta

## Summary

Alta is a city and urban settlement that serves as the administrative center of Alta Municipality in Norway. Located at 69.97°N latitude, it had a population of 16,382 as of January 1, 2025, making it the largest settlement within its municipality. The town covers 9.30 square kilometers and sits 60 meters above sea level in the far northern region of the country.

## Key Facts

- Alta is classified as both a city and an urban area in Norway.
- It functions as the capital of Alta Municipality.
- Located in Norway, with geographic coordinates of 69.96861111°N, 23.27138889°E.
- Elevation is 60 meters above sea level.
- Total area measured 9.23 km² on January 1, 2017.
- Total area measured 9.30 km² on January 1, 2018 (preferred value).
- Total area measured 9.41 km² on November 4, 2019, specifically for the whole settlement.
- Population was 15,297 on January 1, 2018.
- Population was 15,342 on November 4, 2019, covering the whole settlement via estimation.
- Population was 15,484 on January 1, 2020, recorded through the National Population Register.
- Population was 15,491 on January 1, 2021, recorded through the National Population Register.
- Population was 15,784 on January 1, 2022, recorded through the National Population Register.
- Population was 15,931 on January 1, 2023, recorded through the National Population Register.
- Population was 16,269 on January 1, 2024, recorded through the National Population Register.
- Population was 16,382 on January 1, 2025, recorded through the National Population Register (preferred value).
- The settlement is twinned with Apatity as an administrative partnership.
- Recognized in 20 Wikipedia language editions including Arabic, Bulgarian, German, English, Spanish, Persian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Norwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Swedish, and Chinese.
- Alternative names include Alattio (Finnish), Áltá (Sami), Alta (Noruega) (Spanish), and 阿塔镇 (Chinese).
- Assigned SSB Urban Settlement Number 8542 by Statistics Norway.
- Registered with Who's on First ID 101814717.
- Listed in Google Play Store under ID "Alta_-_tettsted".
- Features a Norwegian pronunciation audio file available as Alta.ogg.
- Documented in the National Library of Israel with J9U ID 987007539046305171.
- Referenced in lokalhistoriewiki.no with article ID "Alta".
- The "city" class entity has 252 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects, while Alta specifically has 20.

## FAQs

**What exactly is Alta?**  
Alta is a city and urban settlement that serves as the administrative center of Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. It functions as the municipal capital and is officially classified as a tettsted (urban settlement) by Statistics Norway.

**Where is Alta located?**  
The settlement lies in northern Norway at coordinates 69.96861111°N, 23.27138889°E, within the larger Alta Municipality. It sits at an elevation of 60 meters above sea level in the Arctic region of the country.

**How many people live in Alta?**  
As of January 1, 2025, Alta's population is 16,382 according to the National Population Register. The population has grown steadily from 15,297 in 2018, showing consistent growth of nearly 1,100 residents over seven years.

**What is the size of Alta?**  
Alta covers 9.30 square kilometers as of January 1, 2018, which is the preferred measurement. Previous measurements include 9.23 km² in 2017 and 9.41 km² in 2019, with variations depending on the measurement date and methodology.

**What is Alta's relationship with Apatity?**  
Alta maintains an official administrative twinning relationship with Apatity, a town in Russia. This partnership represents the settlement's sole documented sister city connection.

**Under what other names is Alta known?**  
The settlement appears in multiple languages: Alattio in Finnish, Áltá in Northern Sami, Alta (Noruega) in Spanish, and 阿塔镇 in Chinese. These variants reflect the region's multicultural context and international recognition.

**How is Alta cataloged in official databases?**  
Alta carries numerous identification numbers across systems: SSB Urban Settlement Number 8542, Who's on First ID 101814717, GeoNames ID 847633, GNS Unique Feature ID 6168266, and SSR Place Name Number 625468. It also holds a VIAF ID of 127894484 and a Freebase ID of /m/0q40pfl.

## Why It Matters

Alta functions as the primary administrative and population center for Norway's largest municipality by area, serving as the focal point for municipal governance and services in a region spanning over 3,800 square kilometers. Its steady population growth—from 15,297 in 2018 to 16,382 in 2025—demonstrates its role as a regional magnet for residents in Norway's far north, bucking trends of rural depopulation seen in many Arctic communities. The settlement's extensive cataloging across international databases, including 20 Wikipedia language editions and multiple archival systems, indicates its significance beyond local boundaries as a recognized Arctic urban settlement. Alta's twinning with Apatity, Russia, positions it as a participant in international municipal cooperation, facilitating cultural and administrative exchange across the Barents region. The town's comprehensive documentation by Statistics Norway, complete with annual population registers and precise area measurements, makes it a critical data point for researchers studying Arctic urbanization patterns, settlement growth, and demographic trends in extreme northern latitudes.

## Notable For

- **Sustained Arctic Growth**: Alta increased its population by 7.1% over seven years (2018-2025), a significant achievement for a settlement above the Arctic Circle where many communities face decline.
- **Multinational Name Recognition**: Officially recognized in four distinct languages beyond Norwegian—Northern Sami (Áltá), Finnish (Alattio), Spanish (Alta Noruega), and Chinese (阿塔镇)—reflecting its status as an internationally referenced Arctic settlement.
- **Precision Urban Mapping**: Statistics Norway has tracked Alta's exact area across multiple years (9.23 km² in 2017, 9.30 km² in 2018, 9.41 km² in 2019), providing unusually granular data for a small Arctic town.
- **Digital Footprint**: Maintains active identification across 15+ major databases including GeoNames, Who's on First, OpenWeatherMap, and Archinform, plus Google Play Store presence under "Alta_-_tettsted".
- **Administrative Primacy**: Serves as the undisputed capital of Alta Municipality, with no other settlements in the municipality holding comparable status or population.
- **Cross-Border Partnership**: Its sole twin town relationship with Apatity, Russia, represents a rare direct municipal link between Norwegian and Russian Arctic communities.

## Body

### Identity and Classification

Alta exists simultaneously as multiple entity types in official records. It is formally classified as a city and as an urban area in Norway, with the Norwegian term "tettsted" applying specifically to its settlement pattern. The Wikidata entry describes it as a "settlement in Alta Municipality, Norway," while its instance-of properties confirm dual categorization as both a city and a Norwegian urban area. This multiplicity reflects different administrative and statistical frameworks: municipal governance recognizes it as a city, while national statistics classify it as an urban settlement for demographic purposes. The settlement's lexeme identifier is simply "Alta," and it carries the Wikipedia title "Alta (town)" to distinguish it from the larger municipality.

### Geographic Position

The settlement occupies a precise location at 69.96861111°N latitude and 23.27138889°E longitude, placing it well within the Arctic Circle. Alta sits 60 meters above sea level, a relatively low elevation for a coastal Arctic settlement. Its position within Alta Municipality means it serves as the geographic and administrative heart of a vast northern territory, though the municipality extends far beyond the town's compact 9.30 square kilometer footprint. The coordinates and elevation data originate from Wikipedia's geographic database, while the Norwegian mapping authority SSR registers it under place name number 625468.

### Administrative Role

Alta holds the official designation as capital of Alta Municipality, making it the seat of local government and the primary service center for the region's 20,000+ residents. This status is not ceremonial—the town functions as the actual administrative hub where municipal council operates and central services concentrate. The relationship is direct: Alta is located in Alta Municipality, which in turn has Alta as its capital, creating a self-referential administrative structure common in Norwegian municipal geography. No other settlements in the municipality share this capital status, concentrating political and administrative functions within Alta's boundaries.

### Population Dynamics

Statistics Norway has meticulously tracked Alta's population through multiple methods. The National Population Register provides the most authoritative figures, showing linear growth from 15,484 residents in 2020 to 16,382 in 2025. Earlier data from 2018-2019 used different methodologies, with the 2019 figure of 15,342 marked as an estimation applying to the "whole" settlement. This five-year growth of 898 people represents a 5.8% increase during a period when many northern Norwegian towns experienced stagnation. The 2025 figure of 16,382 is flagged as preferred in the dataset, indicating it supersedes previous estimates. All population data derives from official Statistics Norway publications, with sources including "Tettsteders befolkning og areal" and "Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning."

### Physical Specifications

Alta's physical extent has been measured with unusual precision across consecutive years. The 9.30 km² measurement from January 1, 2018, is marked as preferred, though the 9.41 km² measurement from November 4, 2019, specifically notes it applies to the "whole" settlement, suggesting possible definitional changes. The earlier 9.23 km² figure from 2017 shows the town's boundaries are subject to periodic adjustment, likely reflecting suburban development or administrative reclassification. These measurements come from Statistics Norway's annual urban settlement reports, which apply consistent methodologies for comparability across Norwegian municipalities.

### International Relations

The settlement maintains one documented international relationship: a twinning with Apatity, an administrative body in Russia. This partnership appears in the dataset as "twinned administrative body," indicating a formal municipal friendship agreement. No other sister city relationships are listed in the source material, making Apatity the exclusive international partner. The twinning connects Alta to a Russian Arctic community, fostering potential cooperation in areas like northern development, indigenous issues, and cold-climate urban planning.

### Digital and Archival Identifiers

Alta possesses an extensive network of digital identifiers across global systems. The Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) assigns it ID 127894484, while the GeoNames database uses 847633. The Global Name Server (GNS) tags it as Unique Feature ID 6168266, and the Who's on First gazetteer records it as 101814717. Archinform, an architecture database, catalogs it under location ID 51025, with data retrieved on September 19, 2025. The National Library of Israel's J9U system includes it as 987007539046305171, demonstrating its presence in unexpected archival contexts. The Freebase ID /m/0q40pfl links to a 2013 dataset, while OpenWeatherMap uses the GeoNames ID 847633 for meteorological data. The SSR (Stedsnavnregisteret) assigns place name number 625468, and Statistics Norway's urban settlement system uses number 8542.

### Global Recognition and Names

Alta's international profile extends through 20 Wikipedia language editions, from Arabic (ar) and Persian (fa) to Chinese (zh) and multiple European languages. This multilingual presence includes variants like Egyptian Arabic (arz) and Simple English, indicating broad accessibility. The settlement's name appears in four documented non-Norwegian forms: Alattio (Finnish), Áltá (Northern Sami), Alta (Noruega) (Spanish), and 阿塔镇 (Simplified Chinese). A Norwegian pronunciation audio file (Alta.ogg) provides linguistic guidance. The Google Play Store lists an app under "Alta_-_tettsted," suggesting digital services branded with the settlement's official statistical designation. The commons category "Alta (town)" organizes Wikimedia media, while an image file "Bilde-Alta_boligomraade.jpg" depicts residential areas. The lokalhistoriewiki.no article ID "Alta" connects it to local historical documentation, and the SNARC ID curiously lists "imperial examination"—an apparent data artifact that nonetheless appears in the official record.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. [Tettsteders befolkning og areal. Statistics Norway](https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/statistikker/beftett/aar)
3. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2020. Statistics Norway. 2024](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
4. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2021. Statistics Norway. 2024](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
5. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2022. Statistics Norway. 2024](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
6. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2023. Statistics Norway. 2024](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
7. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2024. Statistics Norway. 2024](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
8. [Alders- og kjønnsfordeling i kommuner, fylker og hele landets befolkning (K) 1986 - 2025. Statistics Norway. 2025](https://www.ssb.no/statbank/table/04859/)
9. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)
10. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File