Alta (town)

Alta (Norwegian; pronounced [ˈɑ̂ɫtɑ] ), Áltá (Northern Sami), or Alattio (Kven) is a town in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality and the major commercial centre in the western part of the county of Finnmark. The town is located on the southern end of Altafjorden at the mouth of the river Altaelva. There are several suburbs around the town: Kåfjord, Kvenvik, and Jiepmaluokta lie to the west; Øvre Alta and Tverrelvdalen lie to the south; and Rafsbotn lies to the east. The famous rock carvings at Alta lie just to the west of the town. Alta is the largest town in Finnmark county. It is known as Nordlysbyen ("The Northern Lights City") and is one of the northernmost cities in the world with a population exceeding 10,000. The 9.81-square-kilometre (2,420-acre) town has a population (2023) of 15,931 and a population density of 1,624 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,210/sq mi). The town of Alta has three churches: the historic Alta Church in Bossekop, the relatively new Elvebakken Church in Elvebakken, and the Northern Lights Cathedral (the new "main" church for the municipality that was completed in 2013). Alta is also an educational centre in Finnmark county. The Alta campus of the University of Tromsø is located in the town as well as the local primary and secondary schools, including Alta Upper Secondary School. The Vestre Finnmark District Court has one of its two courthouses in the town, serving Loppa Municipality and Alta Municipality. Alta IF is the main sports team for the town.