Umeå
Umeå (UK: /ˈuːməɔː/ OO-mə-aw, US: /ˈuːmeɪoʊ/ OO-may-oh, Swedish: [ˈʉ̌ːmɛɔ] ⓘ, locally [ˈʉ̌ːmɛ] ⓘ; South Westrobothnian: [²ʉːm]; Finnish: Uumaja; Ume Sami: Ubmeje; Southern Sami: Upmeje; Northern Sami: Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Umeå | |
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From top: View over downtown showing Ume River, The Museum of Visual Arts, "Skin 4" at Umeå Arts Campus, Umeå City Church, the Heart Smiley, Umeå Town Hall | |
Nicknames:
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Umeå Umeå | |
| Coordinates: 63°49′30″N 20°15′50″E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| County | Västerbottens län |
| Municipality | Umeå Municipality |
| Charter | 17th Century |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 31.8 km2 (12.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2020) | |
| • City | 130,224 |
| • Rank | 13 |
| • Density | 2,818/km2 (7,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 900 01 - 908 50 |
| Area code | (+46) 90 |
| Website | www |
Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest locality in Norrland and the thirteenth largest in Sweden, with a wider municipal population of 130,224 inhabitants in 2020. When Umeå University was established in 1965, growth accelerated, and the amount of housing has doubled in 30 years from 1980 to 2010. As of 2018, Umeå was gaining around 1000 inhabitants per year and the municipality plans for having 200 000 inhabitants by 2050. The projection of municipality size in 2050 has, however, been questioned as an overestimation in an independent study.
Umeå is a university town and centre of education, technical and medical research in northern Sweden. The two universities located in the city, Umeå University and one of the 3 main branches of SLU, host around 40,000 enrolled students, which corresponds to around 30% of the total population. CRISPR gene editing was developed by researchers, headed by Emmanuelle Charpentier at Umeå University, being awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Umeå was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Riga in Latvia. Umeå is certified by the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.
Consulates from ten countries can be found in Umeå (2021): Denmark (from 1848), Finland (from 1921), France (from 1989), Iceland (from 2002), Italy (from 2012), Latvia (1939–1940; again from 2014), Lithuania (from 2012), Norway (from 1963), and the Republic of Seychelles (from 2001).
Umeå has been the home of Rally Sweden since 2022.