Tromsø

Tromsø (, UK also , Norwegian: [ˈtrʊ̂msœ] ; Northern Sami: Romsa [ˈromːsa]; Finnish and Kven: Tromssa; Swedish: Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The 2,521 km2 (973 sq mi) municipality is the 21st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. With a population of 77,992, Tromsø is the 12th-most populous municipality in Norway. The municipality's population density is 31.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (82/sq mi) and its population has increased by 10.9% over the previous 10-year period. It is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and the third largest north of the Arctic Circle anywhere in the world (following Murmansk and Norilsk). The center of the city of Tromsø is located on the island of Tromsøya, but the urban area also encompasses part of the nearby mainland and part of the island Kvaløya. Tromsø is 350 km (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle, and Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge.
The municipality is milder than most settlements on the same latitude, due to the effect of the westerlies reaching this far north, as well as the North Atlantic Drift, a branch of the Gulf Stream. Tromsø's latitude of just below 70°N renders annual midnight suns and polar nights depending on the season.
The city centre contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest dating from 1789. Tromsø is a cultural hub for the region, with several festivals taking place in the summer. Due to its location, many countries had consulates or missions in Tromsø in the 1990s.