Gällivare


Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, province of Lapland, Sweden with 8,449 inhabitants in 2010. The town was founded in the 17th century. Together with nearby towns Malmberget and Koskullskulle it forms a conurbation with some 15,000 inhabitants. This conurbation is the second northernmost significant urban area of Sweden after Kiruna.
Gällivare is situated at the northern end of the Inlandsbanan railway line, just about 100 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Gällivare is located in a major iron ore mining region.
Adjacent to Gällivare is Malmberget, known as a site for iron ore extraction from deep mines by LKAB.
Outside Gällivare lies the ski resort Dundret, which is equipped with six ski lifts and ten groomed slopes along with a conference center and hotel. The ski season stretches from the end of October all the way into early May. The town has been host for several World Cup skiing events, both alpine and cross-country.
Gällivare is the central place for the Firstborn Laestadian movement.
It was the host town for the 2008 VIVA World Cup and also the filming spot for Avicii's single "Addicted to You".

Climate

As expected given its high latitude Gällivare has a rather cold climate. Under the Köppen climate classification it is classified as a subarctic climate. Winters are very severe by Scandinavian standards, but are somewhat moderated by marine air from the North Atlantic and certain cities on the North American Great Plains much further south such as Winnipeg and Grand Forks lower than 50 degrees latitude have colder January averages than Gällivare has. The winter temperature varies a lot due to the location between the open ocean and the large snow covered land mass, and can be one day and next.
Gällivare experiences midnight sun for a significant period of summer, but due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle to the south sees some glimpses of daylight even during winter solstice. As a result of the midnight sun and its inland position, temperatures can occasionally get hot in summer, with an all-time high of.

High incidence of congenital insensitivity to pain

Some inhabitants near Gällivare, mainly in the village of Tjautjas 20 km outside Gällivare, have a remarkably high incidence of congenital insensitivity to pain, an extremely rare disease which inhibits the sensation of pain, heat and cold. There have been nearly 40 reported cases in the area.

Sports

The following sports clubs are located in Gällivare: