Karasjok lies on the river Karasjohka, 145km/90mi east of Alta on E 6 and 14km/8.5mi from the Finnish frontier. This little town is regarded as the Sami capital, and the Sami parliament, the Same-Ting, has recently been established here. The town has a markedly continental climate, with extreme cold in winter (down to -50°C/-58
°F) and very hot summers (up to +30°C/86°F).
Economy
The economy of the town is of characteristically Lapp type. There are some 3,000 reindeer within the commune of Karasjok, and farming, hunting, fishing and tourism all make their contributions to the subsistence of the population.
Karasjok has Finnmark's oldest church, built in 1807. Other attractions of note include the Sami Theme park, tours by snowmobile, reindeer racing, dog sleighing and the northern lights.