| Skellefteå | |||
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| The central square "Möjligheternas Torg" | |||
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Skellefteå
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Sweden | ||
| Province | Västerbotten | ||
| County | Västerbotten County | ||
| Municipality | Skellefteå Municipality | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 21.70 km2 (8.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2005-12-31)[1] | |||
| • Total | 32,425 | ||
| • Density | 1,494/km2 (3,869.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Area code(s) | +46 0910 | ||
Skellefteå is a city and the seat of Skellefteå Municipality in Västerbotten County, Sweden with 32,425 inhabitants in 2005.[1]
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Skellefteå is believed to have been inhabited from around 1000 AD by the Sami people and possibly in part by Finnish people.
The name Skellefteå was recorded as being spelled Skelepht in 1327, but its origin remains unknown.
Archeologists have found that people were living in the area as far back as 8000 years ago.
In the 14th century attempts were made to Christianize Skellefteå. Norrland was not Christianized until several hundred years after the rest of Sweden, and northern cities such as Skellefteå were largely unexplored. The reason for the sudden awakened interest was the fishing of salmon in the areas around Skellefteå, which was sparked by an increased demand of fish, due to stricter enforcement of the annual month long fasting by the Catholic Church whereby meat was substituted by fish.
The city itself is much younger, and in fact one of the youngest cities of Norrland. It was founded in 1845 by vicar Nils Nordlander.
In the 20th century Skellefteå evolved to an industrial and mining city and many wooden houses were demolished to give room for brick buildings. The largest private employer in Skellefteå is the mining company Boliden AB, with about 1,200 employees. Mining is done for gold, and Skellefteå is sometimes referred to as the Goldtown. During the 90's, the computer industry flourished, causing subsidiaries of Ericsson and Tieto Enator to become important employers.
If things go according to plan, Skellefteå will be the site of the hind legs of the world's largest moose – Stoorn – a tourist attraction planned to be built spanning from Skellefteå into Arvidsjaur in Norrbotten.
Skellefteå has subarctic climate with short, mild summers and long, cold and snowy winters.
| Climate data for Skellefteå, Sweden | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −6 (21) |
−6 (21) |
−1 (30) |
4 (39) |
10 (50) |
17 (63) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
12 (54) |
6 (43) |
0 (32) |
−4 (25) |
5.7 (42.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −14 (7) |
−13 (9) |
−9 (16) |
−4 (25) |
2 (36) |
8 (46) |
11 (52) |
10 (50) |
6 (43) |
1 (34) |
−6 (21) |
−11 (12) |
−1.6 (29.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 42 (1.65) |
33 (1.3) |
32 (1.26) |
32 (1.26) |
35 (1.38) |
40 (1.57) |
57 (2.24) |
71 (2.8) |
65 (2.56) |
55 (2.17) |
61 (2.4) |
48 (1.89) |
571 (22.48) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 18 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 168 |
| Source: [2] | |||||||||||||
Skellefteå is served by the Västerbotten County Police Department, Skellefteå Division (Polismyndigheten i Västerbottens län, Skellefteå). Mainly, the Skellefteå Police uses Volvo XC70 and Volvo V70 but also has a few Mercedes and Volkswagen vans.
| Skellefteå is one of 133 places with the historical city status in Sweden. |
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