Mo i Rana

Sister cities

• Petrozavodsk
• Fairbanks

History

Mining, building boats (Nordlands boats), and hunting/fishing used to be the main ways of life in Rana. Starting in the summer of 1730, there was a Sámi market in Mo. The market was held on the main church grounds until 1810. In 1860, wholesale merchant L.A. Meyer started a trade center, licensed by royal authority. Meyer traded flour, herring and tobacco, reindeer meat, skins and venison with the Swedes. The trade with Sweden increased especially during Sweden's difficult economic years from 1892 to the start of the First World War. Many paths now used as hiking trails were originally trade paths for mountain dwellers from Sweden to Mo i Rana. One example is a path that starts in the Vindelfjällens Nature Reserve at Ammarnäs and follows the Vindel River valley, then joins Vindelkroken and eventually crosses the Norwegian border to Mo i Rana. The municipality is rich on iron ores and water to produce power. This was very important for industrial development. The Dunderland Iron Ore Company (1902–1947), owned by Thomas Edison, established the first mines in Storforshei ( north of Mo i Rana). The mining company Rana Gruber was also established in 1937, and in 1946, the Norwegian Parliament approved plans for the construction of an Iron mill in Norway. A/S Norwegian Iron Work Company was established. In 1955, the first steel was produced for Norway and other countries. The construction of the iron works took nine years. During this period the village of Mo i Rana became an industrial city. People from all over Norway moved to Mo i Rana for work. The community needed homes for thousands of new residents and, the construction of houses and residential blocks started immediately. Infrastructure such as electricity and water were established for the city. In 1930, the…

Geography

Mo i Rana is located at the head of Ranfjorden, just on the southern side of the Saltfjellet mountains with the Svartisen glacier, Norway's second largest. The river Ranelva meets the Ranfjorden in Mo i Rana. Rana and Saltfjellet are famous for their numerous caves. Two of the caves are open to the public, Grønligrotta and Setergrotta. Mo i Rana is situated about south of the Arctic Circle.

Most-observed species

• Common Goldeneye

  Bucephala clangula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,988
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,742
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,327
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,269
• Mew Gull

  Larus canus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,247
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,127
• Green-winged Teal

  Anas crecca Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,028
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  989

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2026-08-19
  29 km WNW of Ørnes, Norway
• M 4.6 — 2023-11-08
  18 km SSW of Glomfjord, Norway
• M 2.5 — 2008-10-20
  northern Norway
• M 2.8 — 2007-12-09
  14 km SW of Sandnessjøen, Norway
• M 2.5 — 2007-11-07
  15 km NNW of Hemnesberget, Norway
• M 2.9 — 2006-05-21
  23 km NNE of Nesna, Norway