Murmansk

Seaport and capital of the Murmansk oblast (region) located 1000 km/624 mi north of St Petersburg on the Kola Peninsula in the northwest of the Russian Federation; population (2002) 336,100. Situated on an estuary 50 km/31 mi inland from the Barents Sea, it is the largest city in the Arctic, Russia's principal fishing port, and a base for icebreakers that keep the Northeast Passage open. Shipbuilding is a major industry, and polar research institutes are located here.

Murmansk is the centre of Russian Lapland and the only port on the Russian Arctic coast that is ice-free all year round. The Festival of the North in March marks the end of the two-month Arctic night. After the entry of the USSR into World War II in 1941, Murmansk was the winter terminal for vital supplies from the UK and later from the USA; in the summer supplies went to Arkhangelsk, which was closer to Leningrad.

Founded (as Romanov-na-Murmane) in 1916 as a supply port, Murmansk was occupied by Allied troops and the White Army during the Russian Civil War (1918–20). Severomorsk, north of the city, is home to the Russian Northern Fleet, including atomic submarines and a nuclear arsenal.

Murmansk

Oblast (region) in the far northwestern Russian Federation; area 144,900 sq km/55,946 sq mi; population (1996) 1,048,000 (92% urban). The capital is Murmansk, and Monchegorsk and Kirovsk are other cities. The region is situated largely on the Kola Peninsula, bordering on Norway and Finland in the west. It is mostly covered with coniferous forests, and has a cool maritime climate. The northern area is within the Arctic Circle, with periods of constant daylight (27 May–18 June) and darkness (10 December–8 January). There are vast deposits of aluminium, nickel, copper, iron, rare metals, and phosphates in the region. Industries include mineral and oil extraction, shipbuilding, and lumbering; and fishing and reindeer herding.