Kirkenes

Kirkenes (Norwegian: [ˈçɪ̂rkəneːs] ), known as Girkonjárga in Northern Sami (pronounced [ˈkir̥ː.ko.ˌɲaːrːka]) and Kirkkoniemi in Kven, is a town in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Finnmark county, in the far northeastern part of Norway. The town lies on a peninsula along the Bøkfjorden, an arm of the large Varangerfjorden, and is located just a few kilometres from the Norway–Russia border. The 2.29-square-kilometre (570-acre) town has a population (2023) of 3,404 and a population density of 1,486 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,850/sq mi). When the neighbouring suburban villages of Hesseng, Skytterhusfjellet, Sandnes and Bjørnevatn are all included with Kirkenes, the urban area reaches a population of almost 8,000. Although Kirkenes is the Norwegian town closest to the Russian border, the town of Vardø to its north is located further east in Norway.