Kirkenes, Norway

Click on Image to Enlarge  (JPG) Kirkenes, Norway (666,582 bytes) ( 1,578 x 1,716 )

The town of Kirkenes in northernmost Norway, with its 3400 inhabitants, is preparing for an expected boom as a shipping hub, as global warming has led to the opening up of the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coastline. The travel time between Tokyo and Hamburg, for example, has been cut 40%. Ten to fifteen percent of Chinese international trade could take this route by 2020, according to the director of the Chinese Polar Research Institute. The image was acquired May 19, 2003, covers an area of 24 x 25.5 km, and is located at 69.7 degrees north latitude, 30 degrees east longitude.

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Kirkenes, Norway Type: (JPG) Size: (666,582 bytes) Resolution ( 1,578 x 1,716 )