The most northern settlements on Earth are communities close to the North Pole, ranging from about 70° N to about 89° N. This is a list showing all of the northernmost settlements on Earth, which are all south of latitude 90° N.
There are no permanent civilian settlements north of 79° N, the furthest north (78.55° N) being Ny-Ålesund, a permanent settlement of about 30 (in the winter) to 130 (in the summer) people on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. Just below this settlement at 78.12° N is Svalbard's primary city, Longyearbyen, which has a population of over 2,000.
When occupied for a few weeks some years, the northernmost temporary settlement in the world is Camp Barneo, a Russian tourist attraction located near 88°11'00" N. As of 2022, it had not been occupied since 2018.
The tables below shows the settlements, towns, and cities that are the northernmost in the world of their kind.
All locations
| Location | Country | Latitude | Population | Public | Active? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Barneo, Arctic Ocean Ice Sheet | None (International waters) |
88°11' N | 0 | no | no | Latitude as of April 2009 (varies); northernmost temporarily inhabited place. A Russian-founded ice camp. It has not been occupied after 2019. |
| Frigg Fjord Settlements, Peary Land | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
83°7' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of archeological sites including at least one likely inhabited both summer and winter |
| Ward Hunt Island Camp, Nunavut | Canada | 83°06' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base in 1957–58, airstrip, building. Uninhabited as of 2019 |
| Alert, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 82°28' N | 65 (winter minimum) to 110 (summer maximum) | no | yes | Northernmost place with a continuous (year-round) population, but no permanent residents; military and research station (CFS Alert) | |
| Wandel Dal Settlements, Peary Land | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
82°15' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of more than 20 archeological sites, among them several former permanent settlements |
| Brønlundhus, Peary Land | 82°11' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base, 1947 to 1950 | |
| Kap Harald Moltke, Peary Land | 82°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base | |
| Deltaterrasserne, Peary Land | 82°07' N | 0 | yes | no | Archaeological site | |
| Fort Conger, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 81°44' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration camp, 1881 to 1883 and 1957 to 1958 |
| Nord | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
81°43' N | 5 | no | yes | Military and scientific base |
| Nagurskoye, Franz Josef Land | Russia | 80°48' N | 52 | no | yes | Border guard facility and meteorological station |
| Krenkel, Franz Josef Land | 80°37' N | 7 | no | yes | Meteorological station | |
| Tikhaya Bay, Franz Josef Land | 80°20' N | 0 | no | no | Former weather station | |
| Eureka, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 79°59' N | 8 | no | yes | Scientific station |
| Alexandra Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 79°58' N | 0 | no | no | Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police station | |
| Ytre Norskøya, Svalbard | Norway | 79°51'20" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1620s to 1670 |
| Smeerenburg, Amsterdam Island, Svalbard | 79°43'54" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish–Dutch whaling station, 1619 to 1657 | |
| Harlingen kokerij, Danes Island, Svalbard | 79°43'24" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1636 to 1662 | |
| Kobbefjorden, Danes Island, Svalbard | 79°41'42" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish whaling station, 1631 to 1658 | |
| Golomyanniy, Sredniy Island, Severnaya Zemlya | Russia | 79°33' N | 4 | no | yes | Meteorological station |
| Bache Peninsula, Eastern Ellesmere Land, Nunavut | Canada | ca. 79°10 N | 0 | yes | no | Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost 1926 to 1933 |
| Qaqaitsut, Eastern Inglefield Land, NW | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
ca. 79°07'17.14 N | 0 | yes | no | Hunting station and former permanent settlement |
| Inuarfissuaq, Central Inglefield Land, NW | 78°55' N | 0 | yes | no | Former hunting station or permanent settlement | |
| Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard | Norway | 78°55' N | 30 (winter) to 180 (summer) | yes | yes | Northernmost civilian and functional settlement; home to the northernmost post office |
| Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island, Nunavut | Canada | 78°47' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1948 to 1978 |
| Pyramiden (Russian), Svalbard | Norway | 78°39' N | 3 (winter) to 15 (summer) | yes | yes | Former settlement, 1910 to 1998/2000. Peak population over 1200. Now a ghost city for tourists with hotel established in 2013. |
| Annoatok | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
78°33' N | 0 | yes | no | Former hunting station |
| Etah | 78°19' N | 0 | yes | no | Hunting station and former permanent settlement | |
| Longyearbyen, Svalbard | Norway | 78°12' N | 2,400 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement with a permanent population over 1,000 |
| Barentsburg (Russian), Svalbard | 78°04' N | 455 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| North Ice | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
78°04' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1952 to 1954 |
| Sveagruva, Svalbard | Norway | 77°55' N | 0 | yes | no | Former mining town |
| Siorapaluk | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
77°47' N | 41 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in North America and in Greenland |
| Cape Chelyuskin | Russia | 77°44' N | 6 | no | yes | Northernmost point in mainland Siberia (weather station) |
| Qeqertat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
77°29' N | 31 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Qaanaaq (Thule) | 77°28' N | 629 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Camp Century | 77°16' N | 0 | no | no | United States military scientific research base complete with nuclear reactor, active 1959-1967 | |
| Hopen | Norway | 76°54' N | 4 | yes | yes | A meteorological station has been placed there. |
| Pituffik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
76°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, population forcibly relocated to Qaanaaq site in 1952 to make space for nearby Pituffik Space Base; northernmost nuclear-contaminated area in the world after the 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash |
| Dundas | 76°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, population forcibly relocated to Qaanaaq site in 1952 to make space for nearby Pituffik Space Base; northernmost nuclear-contaminated area in the world after the 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash | |
| Grise Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | Canada | 76°25' N | 144 | yes | yes | Northernmost public settlement in Canada |
| Mould Bay weather station, Prince Patrick Island, Northwest Territories | 76°18' N | 0 | no | no | Former meteorological station, 1948 to 1997 | |
| Craig Harbour, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut | 76°13' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement | |
| Savissivik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
76°01' N | 50 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Resolute, Cornwallis Island, Nunavut | Canada | 74°41' N | 183 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Dundas Harbour, Devon Island, Nunavut | 74°39' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1924 to 1951 | |
| Kullorsuaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
74°34' N | 444 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ikermiut | 74°20' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1954 | |
| Nuussuaq | 74°06' N | 181 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Itissaalik | 74°03' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1904–1909, 1911-1957 | |
| Nordvik, Sakha Republic | Russia | 74°01' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement and penal colony, 1933 to 1956 |
| Kuuk | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°42' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1972 |
| Nutaarmiut | 73°31' N | 43 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Dikson, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 73°30' N | 319 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Russia. Northernmost continental (i.e. non-insular) settlement. |
| Tasiusaq, Avannaata | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°22' N | 249 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Syndassko, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 73°15' N | 531 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Innaarsuit | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
73°11' N | 171 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Naajaat | 73°08' N | 45 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Arctic Bay, Baffin Island, Nunavut | Canada | 73°02' N | 994 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ust-Olenyok, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°59' N | 27 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Aappilattoq, Avannaata | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°53' N | 149 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Novorybnaya, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 72°50' N | 490 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Yuryung-Khaya, Sakha Republic | 72°48' N | 1,179 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Upernavik | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°47' N | 1,090 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Pond Inlet, Baffin Island, Nunavut | Canada | 72°42' N | 1,555 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Taymylyr, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°37' N | 755 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Summit Camp | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°34' N | 5 (winter) to 45 (summer) | no | no | year-round research station at the top of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
| Kangersuatsiaq | 72°22' N | 141 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Zhdaniha, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 72°10' N | 195 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Upernavik Kujalleq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
72°09' N | 201 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Bykovskiy, Sakha Republic | Russia | 72°00' N | 513 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Khatanga, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°59' N | 2,645 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Sachs Harbour, Banks Island, Northwest Territories | Canada | 71°59' N | 104 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ushakovskoye, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug | Russia | 71°59' N | 0 | yes | yes | Former settlement on Wrangel Island. Now used as nature reserve HQ |
| Saskylakh, Sakha Republic | 71°57' N | 2,317 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Kresty, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°54' N | 275 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Sklad, Sakha Republic | 71°54' N | 10 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Popigay, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°53' N | 319 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Yukagir, Sakha Republic | 71°46' N | 128 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Novaya, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°45' N | 266 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Vorontsovo, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°41' N | 253 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Tiksi, Sakha Republic | 71°39' N | 4,440 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Rogachevo, Novaya Zemlya | 71°36' N | 330 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Kheta [ru], Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°34' N | 362 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nuugaatsiaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami caused by a landslide |
| Belushya Guba, Novaya Zemlya | Russia | 71°32' N | 1,972 | yes | yes | Main settlement on Novaya Zemlya |
| Kayak, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°30' N | 57 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nizhneyansk, Sakha Republic | 71°26' N | 218 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Utqiaġvik, Alaska | United States | 71°18' N | 4,927 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in the United States, formerly Barrow |
| Katyryk, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 71°16' N | 367 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Illorsuit | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°14' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami |
| Eismitte | 71°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1930–31 | |
| Skarsvåg, Finnmark | Norway | 71°08' N | 141 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Norway proper |
| Russkoye Ustye, Sakha Republic | Russia | 71°07' N | 118 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Gamvik (village), Finnmark | Norway | 71°03' N | 228 | yes | yes | Village |
| Ukkusissat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
71°02' N | 144 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Mehamn, Gamvik Municipality, Finnmark | Norway | 71°02' N | 692 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Akkarfjord, Finnmark | 70°79' N | 77 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Havøysund, Finnmark | 70°59' N | 947 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Honningsvåg, Finnmark | 70°58' N | 2,237 | yes | yes | City | |
| Volochanka, Krasnoyarsk Krai | Russia | 70°58' N | 436 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ust-Yansk, Sakha Republic | 70°54' N | 257 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Gyda, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug | 70°53' N | 3,610 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Berlevåg, Finnmark | Norway | 70°51' N | 867 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat |
| Naiba, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°50' N | 473 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Saattut | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°48' N | 259 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Khayyr, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°48' N | 419 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Skjånes, Finnmark | Norway | 70°48' N | 60–70 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Niaqornat | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°47' N | 34 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kazache, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°45' N | 1,188 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ulukhaktok, Victoria Island, Northwest Territories | Canada | 70°44'N | 408 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Qaarsut | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°43' N | 161 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kongsfjord, Finnmark | Norway | 70°43' N | 32 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Forsøl, Finnmark | 70°43' N | 213 | yes | yes | Village | |
| Kyusyur, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°41' N | 1,345 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Uummannaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°40' N | 1,407 | yes | yes | Town |
| Hammerfest, Finnmark | Norway | 70°39' N | 11,310 | yes | yes | City |
| Wainwright, Alaska | United States | 70°38' N | 628 | yes | yes | Town |
| Rypefjord, Finnmark | Norway | 70°38' N | 1,775 | yes | yes | Village |
| Båtsfjord, Finnmark | 70°38' N | 2,151 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat | |
| Chokurdakh, Sakha Republic | Russia | 70°37' N | 1,832 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Kårhamn, Finnmark | Norway | 70°32' N | 22 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ikerasak | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°30' N | 229 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Ittoqqortoormiit | 70°29' N | 352 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Atqasuk, Alaska | United States | 70°28' N | 276 | yes | yes | Settlement |
| Prudhoe Bay, Alaska | 70°19' N | 1,310 | yes | yes | Census-designated place Northern end of the Alaskan Pipeline | |
| Alpine, Alaska | 70°14' N | 250 | yes | yes | Work camp; former census-designated place; oil discovered in 1996 | |
| Nuiqsut, Alaska | 70°12' N | 512 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Deadhorse, Alaska | 70°12' N | 25 to 50 (permanent) to 3,000 (temporary) | yes | yes | Northernmost point on Western Hemisphere road network | |
| Kaktovik, Alaska | 70°07' N | 283 | yes | yes | Settlement | |
| Nuorgam, Lapland | Finland | 70°05' N | 200 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Finland and European Union |
| Saqqaq | Greenland (Danish Realm) |
70°00' N | 160 | yes | yes | Settlement - site name for the Saqqaq culture |
Cities and towns
This is a list of the northernmost cities and towns in the world.
Larger cities
Northernmost cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The population data may include municipalities, urban areas or metropolitan areas.
Northernmost cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants.
See also
- Southernmost settlements
- Extreme points of Earth
- List of northernmost items
- List of research stations in the Arctic
References
- Becker, Kraig (8 March 2022). "Barneo Ice Camp Closed for Fourth Year in a Row". The Adventure Blog. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- Bjarne Grønnow, Jens Fog Jensen: The Northernmost Ruins of the Globe. Eigil Knuth’s Archaeological Investigations in Peary Land and Adjacent Areas of High Arctic Greenland (= Man & Society. Vol. 29). Museum Tusculanums Forlag, Københavns Universitet, Copenhagen 2003, ISBN 978-87-635-3065-1 pp. 219–237
- "Canadian Forces Station Alert". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany. "ARKTIS: Reich in der Kälte".
- ^ Dickie, Gloria (1 June 2021). "The World's Northernmost Town Is Changing Dramatically". Scientific American. 324 (6): 44–53. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0621-44. PMID 39020622. Archived from the original (Original title: "The Polar Crucible") on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- "Grise Fiord, Nunavut, drone video shows beach in Canada's northernmost community". CBC News. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2019.