Sør-Varanger Municipality

Sør-Varanger Municipality
Sør-Varanger kommune

Mátta-Várjjaga gielda (Northern Sami)
Etelä-Varankin kunta (Kven)
Sørvaranger herred  (historic name)
Finnmark within Norway
Sør-Varanger within Finnmark
Coordinates: 69°43′43″N 30°02′30″E / 69.72861°N 30.04167°E / 69.72861; 30.04167
CountryNorway
CountyFinnmark
DistrictØst-Finnmark
Established1 Jul 1858
 • Preceded byVadsø Municipality
Administrative centreKirkenes
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Magnus Mæland (H)
Area
 • Total
3,971.42 km2 (1,533.37 sq mi)
 • Land3,458.85 km2 (1,335.47 sq mi)
 • Water512.57 km2 (197.90 sq mi)  12.9%
 • Rank#6 in Norway
Highest elevation
497.1 m (1,631 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
10,063
 • Rank#112 in Norway
 • Density2.5/km2 (6.5/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
 −0.3%
DemonymVarangværing
Official language
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5605
WebsiteOfficial website

Sør-Varanger (Northern Sami: Máttá-Várjjat; Kven: Etelä-Varenki; Russian: Сёр-Вара́нгер, romanizedSyor-Varánger) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kirkenes. Other settlements in the municipality include the villages of Bjørnevatn, Bugøynes, Elvenes, Grense Jakobselv, Hesseng, Jakobsnes, Neiden, and Sandnes. Located west of the Norway–Russia border, Sør-Varanger is the only Norwegian municipality that shares a land border with Russia, with the only legal border crossing at Storskog.

The 3,971-square-kilometre (1,533 sq mi) municipality is the 6th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Varanger is the 112th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,063. The municipality's population density is 2.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.5/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

There is a Dark-sky park in Pasvik.