The Northern Lights is a phenomenon that everyone wants to see because it is fascinating. kirun It is a fairytale city located near the Arctic Circle. It is located in Sweden and is a popular tourist attraction every year, especially for those who want to experience the spectacle. Northern Lights tourismHowever, it's sinking. Kiruna is facing serious problems, as it's home to the world's largest iron ore mine, and it must move completely before it disappears.
In this article we are going to tell you everything you need to know about Kiruna and the Northern Lights.
Kiruna, the city of the Northern Lights
A situation that has been analyzed for many years seems to pay off soon. The entire city was relocated from the official building to the smaller house. All this, because it sinks, it cracks and there is a serious danger, the mine will completely absorb the city.
The fact that it is located on the iron ore, there are more than 2 kilometers of tunnels, turning the city below into a map full of holes, beams and tunnels. The earth also reacted. What can be seen on the surface are cracks, the houses are beginning to crack and you cannot continue working in the mine as before.
For that, On September 1, 2020, the city of Kiruna was located about 5 kilometers from its current location, It used to be the city's landfill, but has now become the nerve center where the town hall is located.
Tourist attraction
Kiruna is also the gateway to Abisko National Park, famous for being the world's leading Northern Lights destination, where you can experience the phenomenon of the Aurora borealis almost every clear night of the year, something that attracts countless tourists to this city in search of the northern lights.
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, located in the province of Norrbotten. The name Kiruna comes from the Sami Gyran language, which means "thunder bird", a white bird native to the northern region, it appears on the city's coat of arms and also has an iron sign symbolizing the mining industry.
Today, Kiruna is the second largest municipality in the world, with an area of 20.000 square kilometersThe city is located between the Kiirunavaara and Luossavaara mountains; next to Lake Luossajärvi (Lake Luossajärvi), it is a great place to watch the sunset and take astronomical photos, highly sought after by lovers of tourism related to the Aurora borealis.
This is a big city and you can see that tourists are barely making their way to the largest ice hotel in the world. Despite its own attractions, such as one of Sweden's oldest stave churches (and according to the Swedes themselves, the most beautiful churches), few people can make the 15-minute drive between the hotel and the city.
Kiruna is almost entirely dependent on open pit mining for its livelihood. The iron elevator maintains the life and economy of this city, and gives it its current appearance. Ten years ago, The mining company concluded that it needs to expand the open mining ports, and for them, the city must relocate. Geology determines these problems, and the surface where houses, schools and streets are built today will be swallowed up by the craters of the future, allowing more iron to be extracted.
The city moves
Ten years ago, the miner concluded that it needed to expand the open mining ports, and for them, the city had to relocate. Geology determines these problems, and the surface where houses, schools and streets are built today will be swallowed up by the craters of the future, allowing more iron to be extracted.
So the Swedes started doing business and started building a satellite city about 5 kilometers east of Kiruna. There, in 15 years, The 30.000 inhabitants of the city moved and today live mainly in the western and northwestern areas. For example, those who today live on the edge of the mine.
For the moment, this measure will allow the city to acquire certain infrastructures that the old mining towns that gave rise to the city they do not want to lose the cultural centers, swimming pools, theaters, etc. This will be an opportunity for the people of Kiruna to improve their quality of life, even at the cost of losing part of their territory.
The urban design is more in keeping with the local climate, with narrower streets designed to cut through the ice and north winds, and a more sustainable approach, prioritizing public transport and pedestrian areas over traffic. Perhaps the new Kiruna will be more attractive to travelers, who will be able to enjoy its new location and the natural spectacles associated with the mountains. Aurora borealis.
Northern Lights in Kiruna
Kiruna is located 145 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, and The midnight sun can be seen between May 30 and July 15. The polar night was short for a few weeks, from December 13 to January 5. In addition to the Northern Lights, these phenomena are very attractive to many astronomical tourists who visit the frozen landscape of the Kiruna and Abisko National Parks every year, attracted by the magical nights of Lapland.
Abisko National Park is perfect for chasing the Northern Lights, learning about wildlife, herding reindeer work, or traveling from Sweden to the fascinating mountainous Arctic landscape to the Norwegian fjords. All these conditions make Star tourism in Kiruna has increased by more than 300% in recent years. To learn more about this surge in interest, you can read more about the northern lights in Spain.
The formation of the northern lights is related to the activity of the sun, the composition and characteristics of the earth's atmosphere. The northern lights can be observed in a circular area above the poles of the Earth. They come from the Sun. There is a bombardment of subatomic particles from the Sun formed in solar storms. These particles range from purple to red. The solar wind alters the particles and when they meet the Earth's magnetic field they deviate and only part of it is seen at the poles.
There are studies that investigate the northern lights when solar wind occurs. This occurs because, although solar storms are known to have an approximate period of 11 years, it is not possible to forecast when an aurora borealis will occur.
