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.[1]
The tables below shows the settlements, towns, and cities that are the northernmost in the world of their kind.
| Location | Country | Latitude | Population | Public | Active? | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | ||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 83°7' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of archeological sites including at least one likely inhabited both summer and winter[2] | ||
| 83°06' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base in 1957–58, airstrip, building. Uninhabited as of 2019 | |||
| 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)[3] | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 82°15' N | 0 | yes | no | A group of more than 20 archeological sites, among them several former permanent settlements | ||
| 82°11' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base, 1947 to 1950 | |||
| 82°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration base | |||
| 82°07' N | 0 | yes | no | Archaeological site | |||
| 81°44' N | 0 | no | no | Former exploration camp, 1881 to 1883 and 1957 to 1958 | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 81°43' N | 5 | no | yes | Military and scientific base | ||
| 80°48' N | 52[4] | no | yes | Border guard facility and meteorological station | |||
| 80°37' N | 7 | no | yes | Meteorological station | |||
| 80°20' N | 0 | no | no | Former weather station | |||
| 79°59' N | 8 | no | yes | Scientific station | |||
| 79°58' N | 0 | no | no | Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police station | |||
| 79°51'20" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1620s to 1670 | |||
| 79°43'54" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish–Dutch whaling station, 1619 to 1657 | |||
| 79°43'24" N | 0 | no | no | Former Dutch whaling station, 1636 to 1662 | |||
| 79°41'42" N | 0 | no | no | Former Danish whaling station, 1631 to 1658 | |||
| 79°33' N | 4 | no | yes | Meteorological station | |||
| data-sort-value="79°10'00 N" | ca. 79°10 N | 0 | yes | no | Royal Canadian Mounted Police outpost 1926 to 1933 | ||
| Qaqaitsut, Eastern Inglefield Land, NW | Greenland (Danish Realm) | data-sort-value="79°07'17.14 N" | 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 | ||
| 78°55' N | 30 (winter) to 180 (summer) | yes | yes | Northernmost civilian and functional settlement; home to the northernmost post office | |||
| 78°47' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1948 to 1978 | |||
| 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. | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 78°33' N | 0 | yes | no | Former hunting station | ||
| 78°19' N | 0 | yes | no | Hunting station and former permanent settlement | |||
| 78°12' N | 2,400[5] | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement with a permanent population over 1,000 | |||
| 78°04' N | 455 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 78°04' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1952 to 1954 | ||
| 77°55' N | 0 | yes | no | Former mining town | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 77°47' N | 41 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in North America and in Greenland | ||
| Russia | 77°44' N | 6 | no | yes | Northernmost point in mainland Siberia (weather station) | ||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 77°29' N | 31 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| Qaanaaq (Thule) | 77°28' N | 629 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 77°16' N | 0 | no | no | United States military scientific research base complete with nuclear reactor, active 1959-1967 | |||
| 76°54' N | 4 | yes | yes | A meteorological station has been placed there. | |||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 76°25' N | 144 | yes | yes | Northernmost public settlement in Canada[6] | |||
| 76°18' N | 0 | no | no | Former meteorological station, 1948 to 1997 | |||
| 76°13' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 76°01' N | 50 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 74°41' N | 183 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 74°39' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1924 to 1951 | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 74°34' N | 444 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 74°20' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1954 | |||
| 74°06' N | 181 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 74°03' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, 1904–1909, 1911-1957 | |||
| 74°01' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement and penal colony, 1933 to 1956 | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 73°42' N | 0 | yes | no | Former settlement, abandoned in 1972 | ||
| 73°31' N | 43 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 73°30' N | 319 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Russia. Northernmost continental (i.e. non-insular) settlement. | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 73°22' N | 249 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 73°15' N | 531 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 73°11' N | 171 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 73°08' N | 45 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 73°02' N | 994 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 72°59' N | 27 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 72°53' N | 149 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 72°50' N | 490 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 72°48' N | 1,179 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 72°47' N | 1,090 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 72°42' N | 1,555 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 72°37' N | 755 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 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 | ||
| 72°22' N | 141 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 72°10' N | 195 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 72°09' N | 201 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 72°00' N | 513 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°59' N | 2,645 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°59' N | 104 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°59' N | 0 | yes | yes | Former settlement on Wrangel Island. Now used as nature reserve HQ | |||
| 71°57' N | 2,317 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°54' N | 275 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°54' N | 10 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°53' N | 319 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°46' N | 128 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°45' N | 266 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°41' N | 253 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°39' N | 4,440 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°36' N | 330 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°34' N | 362 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 71°32' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami caused by a landslide | ||
| 71°32' N | 1,972 | yes | yes | Main settlement on Novaya Zemlya | |||
| Kayak, Krasnoyarsk Krai | 71°30' N | 57 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 71°26' N | 218 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°18' N | 4,927 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in the United States, formerly Barrow | |||
| 71°16' N | 367 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 71°14' N | 0 | yes | no | Abandoned in 2017 after a tsunami | ||
| 71°10' N | 0 | no | no | Former research station, 1930–31 | |||
| 71°08' N | 141 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Norway proper | |||
| 71°07' N | 118 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 71°03' N | 228 | yes | yes | Village | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 71°02' N | 144 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 71°02' N | 692 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°79' N | 77 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°59' N | 947 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°58' N | 2,237 | yes | yes | City | |||
| 70°58' N | 436 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°54' N | 257 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°53' N | 3,610 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°51' N | 867 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat | |||
| 70°50' N | 473 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°48' N | 259 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 70°48' N | 419 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°48' N | 60–70 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°47' N | 34 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 70°45' N | 1,188 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°44'N | 408 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°43' N | 161 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 70°43' N | 32 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°43' N | 213 | yes | yes | Village | |||
| 70°41' N | 1,345 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°40' N | 1,407 | yes | yes | Town | ||
| 70°39' N | 11,310 | yes | yes | City | |||
| 70°38' N | 628 | yes | yes | Town | |||
| 70°38' N | 1,775 | yes | yes | Village | |||
| 70°38' N | 2,151 | yes | yes | Village, municipality seat | |||
| 70°37' N | 1,832 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°32' N | 22 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°30' N | 229 | yes | yes | Settlement | ||
| 70°29' N | 352 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°28' N | 276 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°19' N | 1,310 | yes | yes | Census-designated place Northern end of the Alaskan Pipeline | |||
| 70°14' N | 250 | yes | yes | Work camp; former census-designated place; oil discovered in 1996 | |||
| 70°12' N | 512 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°12' N | 25 to 50 (permanent) to 3,000 (temporary) | yes | yes | Northernmost point on Western Hemisphere road network | |||
| 70°07' N | 283 | yes | yes | Settlement | |||
| 70°05' N | 200 | yes | yes | Northernmost settlement in Finland and European Union | |||
| Greenland (Danish Realm) | 70°00' N | 160 | yes | yes | Settlement - site name for the Saqqaq culture | ||
This is a list of the northernmost cities and towns in the world.
Northernmost cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The population data may include municipalities, urban areas or metropolitan areas.
| City | Population | Latitude/longitude | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norilsk, Russia | 174,453 | 69.3333°N 101°W | |
| Murmansk, Russia | 270,384 | 68.9667°N 38°W | |
| Novy Urengoy, Russia | 107,251 | 66.0667°N 113°W | |
| Oulu, Finland | 214,633 | 65°N 51°W | |
| Severodvinsk, Russia | 157,213 | 64.5667°N 88°W | |
| Arkhangelsk, Russia | 301,199 | 64.5333°N 72°W | |
| Reykjavík, Iceland | 139,875 | 64.1333°N -77°W | |
| Umeå, Sweden | 132,235 | 63.8167°N 36°W | |
| Trondheim, Norway | 212,660 | 63.4167°N 33°W | |
| Noyabrsk, Russia | 100,188 | 63.2°N 102°W | |
| Kuopio, Finland | 124,021 | 62.8833°N 67°W | |
| Jyväskylä, Finland | 147,746 | 62.2333°N 69°W | |
| Yakutsk, Russia | 355,443 | 62.0333°N 173°W | |
| Petrozavodsk, Russia | 234,897 | 61.7833°N 55°W | |
| Syktyvkar, Russia | 220,580 | 61.6667°N 99°W | |
| Tampere, Finland | 255,050 | 61.4833°N 68°W | |
| Surgut, Russia | 396,443 | 61.2667°N 97°W | |
| Anchorage, Alaska, United States | 287,145 | 61.2167°N -202°W | |
| Nefteyugansk, Russia | 124,732 | 61.0833°N 114°W | |
| Lahti, Finland | 120,693 | 60.9833°N 64°W | |
| Gävle, Sweden | 103,493 | 60.6747°N 17.1417°W | |
| Turku, Finland | 201,863 | 60.45°N 38°W | |
| Bergen, Norway | 289,330 | 60.3925°N 5.3233°W | |
| Vantaa, Finland | 247,443 | 60.2944°N 25.0403°W |
Northernmost cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants.
| City | Population | Latitude/longitude | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murmansk, Russia | 270,384 | 68.9667°N 38°W | |
| Arkhangelsk, Russia | 301,199 | 64.5333°N 72°W | |
| Yakutsk, Russia | 355,443 | 62.0333°N 173°W | |
| Tampere, Finland | 255,050 | 61.4833°N 68°W | |
| Surgut, Russia | 396,443 | 61.2667°N 97°W | |
| Anchorage, Alaska, United States | 287,145 | 61.2167°N -202°W | |
| Bergen, Norway | 289,330 | 60.3925°N 5.3233°W | |
| Espoo, Finland | 314,024 | 60.2056°N 24.6556°W | |
| Helsinki, Finland | 674,500 | 60.1708°N 24.9375°W | |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | 5,598,486 | 59.9375°N 30.3086°W | |
| Oslo, Norway | 709,037 | 59.9167°N 10.7333°W | |
| Tallinn, Estonia | 437,811 | 59.4372°N 24.7453°W | |
| Stockholm, Sweden | 987,661 | 59.3294°N 18.0686°W |