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I
live in the city of Tromsø in
northern Norway. It is the fourth largest city in
Norway (Oslo > Bergen
> Trondheim > Tromsø),
and it is about 400 km (250 miles) north of the Arctic Circle.
Tromsø is centered on an island
wedged between the mainland to the east and south and two large islands to
the west and north.
This far north, the sun
does not set from about 21 May to about 21 July. This is called the Midnight Sun. But, we also experience the “Dark
Time” between about 21 November to about 21 January, during which the sun
does not rise. We are also
blessed with incredible Northern
Lights when the sky is dark enough to see them.
Despite being in the
Arctic, the weather in Tromsø is actually quite mild. This is because of the warm ocean
currents called the Gulf
Stream, which flows up the west coast of Norway. The coldest recorded temperature here
is only about -18ºC (-4ºF). That
said, it does not get particularly warm in the summer. The temperature rarely reaches 30ºC
(86ºF). We have lots of snow in
the winter, which is great for cross-country skiing, and lots of sun in the
summer, which is great for hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, sailing,
etc. If you would like to see
what it is like in Tromsø right now, follow this link - Tromsø cams. There have been humans
living in Tromsø for approximately 10,000 years. The Sami
(a.k.a. Saami, or Sámi) people have been here for at least 2,000 years, and Germanic
people for about 1,600 years.
The Sami
language and culture are quite unmistakable in northern Scandinavia. If you are interested in learning (or
listening to) some Lule Sami, follow this link - Lule Sami language. Go to the Top Go to the Bruce's
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Last updated December 2007 -- By the way, my name is pronounced like "more rain" with the stress on the second syllable. |
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