Kristiansund : Norway
Kristiansund, officially rewarded township status in 1742, is a city and municipality on the northwestern coast of Norway, in the Nordmre district of county Mre og Romsdal. The city borders islands/municipalities Smla to the northeast, Tustna to the east, Frei* to the south, and Avery to the SW (in the NW, there’s nothing but the Norwegian Sea, besides the small island Grip**). For mail addressing purposes, the city’s name is often written as Kristiansund N (N for North), to distinguish it from southern city Kristiansand.
Kristiansund is built on four islands, where Nordlandet (“North Land”), humorously called Marokko (“Morocco”), is the largest, and the site of the local airport Kvernberget (IATA code: KSU). Gomalandet and Kirk(e)landet (“Church Land”), second and third in size, are considered separate “lands” (islands) even though they are connected. The smallest island is Innlandet (“Innermost Land”; humorously, “Tahiti”). Kristiansund is one of the most densely populated cities of Norway, having what is arguably the country’s most urban small city center, due to the relatively small size of the islands on which it is built and the very constricted central harbour/town area of Kirk(e)landet.
Started in 1876 and still going strong is the Sundbt (“Sound/Strait Boat”) shuttle service with a capacity of a few tens of passengers, travelling between the islands. The small motor ferry crosses the harbour from Kirk(e)landet to Innlandet, then goes on to Nordlandet, to Gomalandet, and back to Kirk(e)landet, repeating the round trip in half-hour intervals morning to evening on weekdays. The Sundbt bears the distinction of being the world’s oldest motorized regular public transport system in continuous service.
