Information on Tromsø
The number of Muslims living in Tromsø and the surrounding area is estimated to be about 1000.
Tromsø is the largest city north of the Arctic Circle, in the Nordic
countries, and has the world’s northern most university and Mosque. The city
is a centre for research, fishing exports and satellite technology.
Tromsø City has more than 65,000 residents and the Municipality of Tromsø covers an area of 2558 km².
There is more than 130 different nationalities living in Tromsø.
Nordlys over Tromsø
Tromsø is situated right in the centre of the Northern Lights zone and is,
therefore, together with the interior ice in Greenland the tundra in
northern Canada, among the best places on earth to observe this phenomenon.
Most of the Northern Lights outbursts visible from Tromsø are green, but
large outbursts can also include other colours.
In order to see the Northern Lights, it must be dark and clear – the reason that we never see the Northern Lights between May and August. The greatest frequency is between 6pm and 2am. Some visitors prefer to see the performance from a mountain top shielded from the city’s lights, while others are just as impressed right in the city centre.
The Northern Lights are particles that are hurled into space after storms on the sun’s surface. They are attracted by the magnetic North Pole, and enter the atmosphere in a ring-like zone around the pole. In a process that is identical to that inside a light tube, the energy is released as light.
Climate, Midnight sun and the polar nights
Winter in Tromsø is not especially cold. The record low temperature in Tromsø is minus 18 degrees Celsius, while the average January temperature is minus four, but in return there is often a lot of snow.
In spite of the location so far north, Tromsø enjoy a moderate insular climate. Summer temperatures ranges from five degrees to 28 degrees Celsius.
The Midnight Sun is visible from around May 21 to around July 21. Between November 21 and January 21, the sun disappears under the horizon and we experience the Polar Nights.
View over of Tromsø
Where Tromsø is in Europe
Tromsø from 2000 metres above sea level