Alta is a municipality and town in the county of Finnmark, Norway. Alta was established as a municipality January 1, 1838. Talvik was separated from Alta January 1, 1863 - but again merged with Alta January 1, 1964.
The municipality is probably named after the fjord (Altafjorden). Until 1918 the name was written Alten.
The municipality covers 3,845 km², in the west of the county, mostly situated along the Altafjord, taking in large tracts of woodlands, as well as parts of the High Plateau of Finnmarksvidda. The river Altaelva has carved out one of the largest canyons in Europe on its way from the plateau down to the fjord. Most people live in the town of Alta, stretching along the inner part of the fjord, enjoying a sheltered climate; daytime summer temperatures are often comparable to southern parts of Norway, and lowland areas in Alta are mostly sheltered from the winter storms. Precipitation is low, with a yearly average precipitation of only 400 mm. The clear skies are the reason why Alta early was chosen as an excellent location for studying the aurora borealis.
The Rock carvings at Alta, dating from circa 4200 BC to 500 BC, are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. In addition, the Komsa culture was named after the Komsa mountain in Alta municipality, where the first archeological remains of this culture were discovered.
In World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz used Altafjord as a harbor, and was damaged here by attacking allied warplanes.
Altasaken in 1979 made headlines for weeks, as many people (especially Sami people and environmentalists) demonstrated and used civil disobedience to prevent the building of a dam in order to produce hydropower.
The dam was built, however, and the river still offers good salmon fishing.
Alta became a city (town) in 1999. The population has been growing steadily for many years.
For those interested in bird watching, the river outlet, known locally as Altaosen is well worth a visit. This tidal area is used as a stopover for many wetland species.
Alta is a communication center in Finnmark. Alta Airport served 308,000 passengers in 2004. There are direct flights to Oslo. Alta also has port facilities in the town center, and the E6 passes through Alta.
Main activities in Alta include trading, small industry, education and public service. The town is also famous for its slate industry. Finnmark University College (Høgskolen i Finnmark) is situated in Alta, and there is also a research institution (Norut NIBR Finnmark). The town has the most northern Ice hotel in Europe and the most northern Subway restaurant in the world.
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