Alta is the northernmost city in the world surpassing 10,000 inhabitants. Alta municipality covers 3,845 square kilometres (1,485 sq mi), 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. On its way from the plateau down to the fjord, the river Altaelva has carved out the Sautso canyon, one of the largest canyons in Europe. The large Altafjorden has several notable bays and fjord arms that branch off from it including Langfjorden, Jiepmaluokta, Kåfjorden, and Lille Kufjorden.
Alta is based on the mainland of Norway, but it also includes parts of the islands of Stjernøya and Seiland. Seiland is the home of Seiland National Park where the Seilandsjøkelen glacier and the mountain Seilandstuva.
Most people live in the town of Alta, stretching along the inner part of the fjord, enjoying a sheltered climate; daytime mid-summer temperatures are often comparable to southern parts of Norway, and lowland areas in Alta are mostly sheltered from the winter storms. The mean annual temperature is 1.3 °C (34.3 °F) (1961–90) and the Alta valley does not have permafrost but is dominated by closed-canopy forest of birch and pine. Precipitation is low, with a yearly average precipitation of only 420 millimetres (16.5 in). The frequent clear skies are the reason why Alta was chosen as an excellent location for studying the aurora borealis.
The municipality is probably named after the local Altafjorden. The name possibly comes from the Old Norse (ǫlpt or alpt) which refers to a swan or it is a Norwegianization of the Finnish word (alaattia) which refers to a "lowland". Prior to 1918, the name was written Alten.
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 9 July 1976. The arms show a white arrow point on a blue background. The arrow is derived from the findings of quartzite arrow points dating back to the late Stone Age and found in the area. The quartzite was quarried in the municipality and tools thereof were all over the Northern Norway.
@sturnus we did Carol - managed to get some shots but without a tripod, they were a bit blurry! Have already posted a shot earlier on in my retro folder. Next time I'll be properly prepared. Was an amazing sight and my childhood dreams were certainly fulfilled a number of times - mainly at around 1 or 2 o'clock each morning!! Fully recommended.
@darrenboyj We saw the lights last year, near Alta. Seeing them was number one in my bucket list! I took a tripod but still managed to get out of focus shots - my own incompetence was to blame :( Will just have to go again and try to get a decent shot!
Beautiful scenic image btw