Russia’s Norilsk is the most northerly city in the world. AFP via Getty Images. The modern story of Norilsk begins in the early 20th century when a geologist discovered rich deposits of nickel ...

The most northerly village you can freely travel to, however, is Syndassko, also in Krasnoyarsk Krai, further west on the Taymyr Peninsula. READ MORE: 10 facts about Russia’s northernmost settlement ...

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway — It’s freezing, snowing and so far north that the sun won’t rise again until March, but the 2,000 residents of the world’s most northerly town wish it were much colder.

At least, that’s the case in Kirkenes, an Arctic town of some 3,500 people about four miles from the Russian border, known for a snow hotel and breathtaking views of the Northern Lights.