Kiruna

Kiruna, mining city in northern Sweden, in Norrbotten County, bordering on the Gulf of Bothnia and Norway. The city encompasses a mountainous region in the west populated by Saami and an urban district dominated by the mining industry on the shores of Lake Luossajarvi. Kiruna straddles the world's greatest known concentration of high-grade ore, which is transported by rail for export and domestic production into quality steel products. Established during the late 1890s when systematic mining operations began, Kiruna was incorporated in 1949. Population (1990 estimate) 26,500.