Kirkenes

Kirkenes is the largest city in Kelssek. It is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The city is a major financial and economic centre, with the majority of Kelssek's banking and financial services industry headquartered in Kirkenes, as well as a cultural centre and transportation hub. The city has a population of 9.1 million, while 47.1 million people live within the metropolitan area.

The city is home to the iconic KN Tower and many national and transnational corporate head offices. With the help of immigration, Kirkenes has a very cosmopolitan population representing cultures and ethnicities from around the world. Due to its low crime, clean environment and generally high standard of living, the city is consistently rated one of the world's most livable cities.

Often called a "city of neighbourhoods", many immigrant enclaves proliferate throughout the city's metropolitan area. Kirkenes is well known for the large number of microbreweries in the city and is the home of two of Kelssek's oldest and most successful sports teams - the Kirkenes Dragons (KHL) and the Kirkenes Argonauts (Rugby Superleague).

Kirkenes is also a cultural centre and is a major centre for the performing arts, hosting thirty professional theatrical groups, seven ballet companies, two opera companies and two symphony orchestras. The Kirkenes Islands are also a popular venue for rock concerts and the city hosts a large independent music scene, although not as large as the more well-known scene in Burnaby. Kelssek's famous punk rock band Factional Distillation began playing in Kirkenes clubs.

Transportation

Kirkenes has one of the region's largest public transit systems. The Kirkenes Transit Commission, an agency of the city government, runs subway trains, commuter rail, streetcars and buses with ridership estimated at 37 million trips daily.

The nation's busiest highway, Noua Cymru Highway 401, runs through the city and connects it with the provincial capital of Winchester to the west. Highway 400 runs to Redswyth to the north. Highway 404 connects Kirkenes with the Trans-Kelssek Highway (Federal Highway 1), splitting off at the town of Blackfoot 33km to the southwest.

Both Kelssek National Railway and Kelssek Pacific Railway provide inter-city rail services to Union Station in the city's downtown. Kirkenes will also be a terminus for the first portion of the new KHRS (Kelssekian High-Speed Railway System, pronounced to rhyme with "curves") which will reach speeds of 400km/h and allow travel to the national capital of Neorvins within 1½ hours by 2009.

Kirkenes's main airport is Malton International Airport, which serves 90 million passengers annually and is Kelssek's busiest airport by passenger numbers. The Kirkenes City Centre Airport serves general aviation traffic and has commercial turboprop flights to Redswyth and Neorvins; the latter use is the subject of much controversy because of the noise pollution which many claim are compromising the city's ambitious project to revitalise its waterfront.

Media

Kirkenes's main daily newspaper is The Kirkenes Courier, which has Kelssek's largest English-only circulation. A tabloid-size newspaper Kirkenes Sun is also available for free in transit stations in the mornings. The newsmagazine Global and the worker-owned media conglomerate United Kelssek Broadcasters Corporation is also based in Kirkenes.

The headquarters and main studios of the Kelssek Broadcasting Corporation are located in the city, and the city is also a centre for movie production - it hosts the annual Kirkenes International Film Festival every August. A multiplicity of radio stations caters to the many immigrant communities in Kirkenes; over 40% of the city's residents are foreign-born.

Education

Kirkenes is home to four major universities:

• Lionsgate University - commonly regarded as one of, if not the most prestigious university in Kelssek.
• University of Kirkenes - Kelssek's largest university by student population and well-known for its medical and sociological research as well as engineering programs.
• St. David's University - Among Kelssek's top comprehensive universities.
• Pearson University - known for its political studies courses, particularly international relations.