Territory and Population
Total population: approx. 5.2 million people
The surface area of the Barents Region, 1 755 800 sq. km,
equals the combined area of France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the
Netherlands. The population density is on average only 2,9 inhabitants
per square kilometre. It varies from 0,24 (Nenets) to 11,3 (Oulu)
inhabitants.
The Saamì people is at home in all four states that belong
to the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. The regional co-operation
includes two more indigenous peoples: the Nenets and the Vepsian.
The largest city in the Barents Region (in 2014) is
Arkhangelsk (Russia) with 357 409 inhabitants followed by Murmansk with a
population of 299 000 (2014 est.). The largest Nordic city in the region is Oulu
(Finland) with 196 291 (2014) inhabitants followed by Umeå (Sweden) with a
population of 119 613 (2014).