Luleå facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luleå
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City
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Luleå, 2014
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 Luleå
Location in Norrbotten
Luleå
Location in Sweden
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| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Norrbotten |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Municipality | Luleå Municipality |
| Charter | 17th century |
| Area | |
| • City | 29.09 km2 (11.23 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Population
(31 December 2018)
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| • Metro | 77,832 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code |
971 00 – 978 20
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| Area code(s) | (+46) 920 |
Luleå is a city located on the coast of northern Sweden. It is the main city of Norrbotten County, which is the northernmost county in Sweden. In 2018, Luleå had about 48,728 people living in its main area. The whole Luleå Municipality had around 79,000 people in 2023.
Luleå is the 25th largest city in Sweden and the biggest city in Norrbotten County. It is known for having the world's largest brackish water archipelago, which means it has many islands (1,312!) and a mix of fresh and saltwater. The city also has several rivers and huge forests.
Luleå is home to Sweden's seventh biggest harbor for shipping goods. It has a large steel industry and is a major center for research. The Swedish Air Force also has a base here, called Norrbotten Wing (F 21), located at Luleå Airport. Luleå University of Technology is one of Sweden's top technology universities, with about 15,000 students. It is the northernmost university in Sweden.
Contents
History of Luleå
Luleå officially became a town in 1621, thanks to King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. The first town was built where Gammelstad (Old Town) is today. However, the land slowly rose out of the sea. This made the bay too shallow for ships. So, in 1649, the town had to move to its current location.
In 1805, Luleå was quite small, with only 947 people. But by 1865, it became the main city of Norrbotten County. Its population grew to about 1,400 residents. Around the 1860s, industries also started to grow in the city.
Luleå faced several big fires. Fires happened in 1653, 1657, and a very destructive one in 1887. The 1887 fire destroyed most of the town. Only a few buildings were saved. The tall Neo-Gothic Cathedral, which is 67 meters (220 ft) high, was built after this fire. It was finished in 1893 and is the tallest building in Luleå.
Geography
Luleå is located by the coast in northern Sweden. It has many different areas, from busy city centers to quieter neighborhoods.
Economy and Industry
Luleå's economy is a mix of different things. It includes industry, research, education, trade, and services.
Some of the biggest employers in the city are the SSAB steelworks and Luleå University of Technology. The Swedish Air Force also has a base, called F 21, near Luleå Airport. Other important companies include Ferruform and Gestamp HardTech.
IT Industry in Luleå
The information technology (IT) industry in Luleå is growing fast. In 2008, about 2,000 people worked in IT here.
Luleå has been a place for many important technology breakthroughs. For example, the Luleå algorithm for internet routing was created here in 1997. Also, Marratech, a company that made early internet video meeting tools, started here. Google later bought Marratech's technology for Gmail.
In 2011, Facebook chose Luleå for its first data center outside the United States. This huge facility has three buildings, each about 28,000 square meters. The first building started working in 2012. This big project is helping Luleå become a major hub for internet data traffic in Europe.
Luleå is now called "The Node Pole" because of this. The region offers stable, cheap electricity that comes from 100% renewable sources. It also has low cooling costs because it's a cool place in Sweden. Sweden's stable government is another reason companies like to build here.
Climate
Luleå has a subarctic climate. This means it has short, mild to warm summers. Its winters are long, cold, and snowy.
The climate in Luleå is affected by the North Atlantic and the nearby Gulf of Bothnia. This makes its climate milder than many other cities at the same latitude. It's even milder than some places further south in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. In June and July, summer temperatures in Luleå can sometimes reach around 30°C. Summers are very bright, with almost constant daylight around the summer solstice.
From September to March, if the sky is clear, you can often see the amazing northern lights dancing in the sky.
| Climate data for Luleå, 1991–2020 averages; extremes since 1944; sunshine hours and snow depth 2002-2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
28.4 (83.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.1 (89.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
16.9 (62.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.5 (47.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
0.0 (32.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
11.8 (53.2) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
13.1 (55.6) |
5.8 (42.4) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
6.7 (44.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.7 (16.3) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
1.0 (33.8) |
7.3 (45.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
9.5 (49.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
2.8 (37.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.8 (9.0) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
2.7 (36.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
5.9 (42.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −42.3 (−44.1) |
−38.2 (−36.8) |
−32.3 (−26.1) |
−20.4 (−4.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−20.7 (−5.3) |
−30.3 (−22.5) |
−33.7 (−28.7) |
−42.3 (−44.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 49.8 (1.96) |
34.6 (1.36) |
31.3 (1.23) |
30.6 (1.20) |
41.4 (1.63) |
61.6 (2.43) |
68.2 (2.69) |
66.4 (2.61) |
59.6 (2.35) |
55.4 (2.18) |
53.2 (2.09) |
49.0 (1.93) |
601.1 (23.66) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 55 (22) |
72 (28) |
75 (30) |
64 (25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
5 (2.0) |
16 (6.3) |
30 (12) |
79 (31) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 10 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 6.9 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 9.2 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 103.9 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 21 | 78 | 172 | 225 | 289 | 305 | 310 | 245 | 154 | 92 | 38 | 3 | 1,932 |
| Mean daily daylight hours | 5 | 8.4 | 11.8 | 15.4 | 19.2 | 22.5 | 20.5 | 16.6 | 13.1 | 9.6 | 6 | 3.5 | 12.6 |
| Average ultraviolet index | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Source 1: SMHI | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Climates to travel NOAA(precipitation and precip days at Luleå Airport) Weather Atlas(daylight-UV) | |||||||||||||
| Average sea temperatures and daily daylight hours in Luleå | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average sea temperature °C (°F) | -0.3 |
-0.7 |
-0.2 |
0.4 |
3.1 |
10.8 |
16.3 |
15.7 |
11.8 |
7.6 |
5.0 |
2.8 |
5.9 |
| Source: Weather Atlas | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Luleå Airport, 2002–2020 averages; extremes since 1944 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.3 (50.5) |
9.8 (49.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
28.4 (83.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.1 (89.8) |
29.2 (84.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
16.9 (62.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.5 (47.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
13.3 (55.9) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.3 (75.7) |
26.7 (80.1) |
24.1 (75.4) |
18.8 (65.8) |
12.5 (54.5) |
7.2 (45.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
5.6 (42.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
6.9 (44.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.1 (15.6) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
9.9 (49.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
3.1 (37.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13.0 (8.6) |
−12.9 (8.8) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
3.1 (37.6) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.6 (54.7) |
11.2 (52.2) |
6.3 (43.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −26.6 (−15.9) |
−25.7 (−14.3) |
−20.1 (−4.2) |
−10.2 (13.6) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
3.5 (38.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
−15.8 (3.6) |
−21.2 (−6.2) |
−29.2 (−20.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −42.3 (−44.1) |
−38.2 (−36.8) |
−32.3 (−26.1) |
−20.4 (−4.7) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−20.7 (−5.3) |
−30.3 (−22.5) |
−33.7 (−28.7) |
−42.3 (−44.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 57.9 (2.28) |
36.8 (1.45) |
30.2 (1.19) |
31.3 (1.23) |
45.1 (1.78) |
65.8 (2.59) |
67.6 (2.66) |
69.5 (2.74) |
66.0 (2.60) |
52.9 (2.08) |
52.6 (2.07) |
56.3 (2.22) |
632 (24.89) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 55 (22) |
72 (28) |
75 (30) |
64 (25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
5 (2.0) |
16 (6.3) |
30 (12) |
79 (31) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 21 | 78 | 172 | 225 | 289 | 305 | 310 | 245 | 154 | 92 | 38 | 3 | 1,932 |
| Source 1: SMHI | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: SMHI | |||||||||||||
Media in Luleå
Luleå has two main newspapers:
- Norrbottens-Kuriren
- Norrländska Socialdemokraten
Transportation
Luleå is an important place for transport in the region. It connects roads, ships, and trains for moving goods like ore and steel.
Public Transport
Buses are the main way to get around Luleå. Luleå Lokaltrafik runs five main bus lines and other services. You can also take regional buses from Luleå Bus station to other places in Norrbotten County.
Air Travel
Luleå/Kallax Airport is about 7 kilometers (5 miles) south of the city center. It's the fifth largest airport in Sweden, with about 1.2 million passengers each year. It's also the biggest airport in northern Sweden. The route to Stockholm Arlanda Airport is very busy, with over 1 million passengers annually. There are about 15 flights every day to and from Stockholm.
Rail Travel
Luleå has train lines coming from both the north and the south. You can take a night train with Vy Tåg to places like Kiruna and Narvik in the north, or to Stockholm in the south. Norrtåg also offers train services from Luleå to Umeå, Kiruna, and Haparanda.
Sea Travel
The Port of Luleå is one of Sweden's largest ports for shipping large amounts of goods.
Shopping
Luleå is famous for having the world's first indoor mall. It opened in 1955 and is called Shopping. There are two other malls in Luleå: Strand and Smedjan. The main streets for shopping are Storgatan and Kungsgatan. A bit outside the city, there's a larger shopping center called Storheden.
Culture and Events
Luleå has many cultural places and events. These include the Norrbottensteatern (a theater), the Norrbottens Museum, and the Norrbotten Big Band. In 2007, the Cultural House (Kulturens Hus) opened. It has a library, hosts concerts, and shows art exhibitions.
Luleå is also home to several music bands. These include the hardcore punk band Raised Fist and the power metal band Machinae Supremacy.
One of the biggest winter festivals is the Minus 30-festivalen. It's held indoors at the Cultural House every March.
The Luleå Hamnfestival (Luleå harbor festival) is a big summer event. It takes place in July around the north harbor. This free festival has been happening every summer since 2013. It replaced earlier summer festivals like Luleåkalaset and Sjöslaget.
Musikens makt (The power of music) is a smaller, free music festival. It's held every August at Gültzauudden.
A unique art form in Luleå is Ice Music. Professional musicians play instruments made entirely out of ice! These concerts happen in a huge igloo, and the ice instruments glow with colorful lights.
Luleå is also where the Norrbotten Band of the Home Guard Music is based. This group has volunteer musicians from the Home Guard in Norrbotten County.
Sports
Luleå has many sports teams that compete at the highest levels in Sweden.
Four teams from Luleå play in Sweden's top leagues:
- Luleå Basket: This is the women's basketball team. They have won two Swedish championships (in 2014 and 2015).
- BC Luleå: This is the men's basketball team. They have won eight Swedish championships (in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2017).
- Luleå Hockey/MSSK: This is the women's ice hockey team. They won their first Swedish Championship in 2016.
- Luleå Hockey: This is the men's ice hockey team. They won one Swedish Championship in 1996. They also won the European Trophy in 2012 and the Champions Hockey League in 2015.
Yukigassen
The Swedish Championship in Yukigassen is held in Luleå every year. Yukigassen is a fun, organized snowball fight sport!
Images for kids
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Luleå panorama, summer of 2014
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The Gammelstad church
See also
In Spanish: Luleå para niños
