450km (279 miles) N of Trondheim
It's not pretty, but "Mo on the Ranafjord" is your gateway to the Arctic Circle, which crosses its municipal boundaries from east to west. With a population of some 25,000 people, it is the third-largest city in the north of Norway.
Credit for the city's recent rapid population growth goes to the steel and iron industry. In fact, the buildings here are industrial, ugly boxes for the most part, though they are welcoming havens on cold and windy days.
We suggest that you use Mo i Rana only as a refueling stop and as a gateway to one of the largest wildernesses in Europe. You don't visit it for its grand architecture, but for the magnificent setting that it occupies, with adventure travel possible in all directions.
