Editing Kiruna (section)

== Economy ==

=== Mining ===
{{main|Kiruna Mine}}
[[File:Kiruna mine.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The ore body in Kiruna is an inclined slab of [[magnetite]], 80 m wide, 4 km long and at least 2 km underground]]
Mining plays a major role as a source of national income and employment for Kiruna and the surrounding region. As with most of Northern [[Sweden]] the area is rich with [[magnetite]] which is mined to produce various [[iron ore]] products which are then transported by rail to [[Narvik]] port in [[Norway]] to be shipped to customers around the world. Large-scale mining in Kiruna started in the 19th century right around the time the major [[Sweden|Swedish]] mining company [[LKAB]] was founded in 1890.<ref name=mining>{{cite web |url=https://www.lkab.com/sv/om-lkab/lkab-i-korthet/var-historia/ |title=Det börjar med järnet |publisher=LKAB |access-date=6 May 2018 |archive-date=6 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106142351/https://www.lkab.com/sv/om-lkab/lkab-i-korthet/var-historia/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Space research===
Space research started in the late 1940s.<ref name="auto"/>

The [[ESTRACK]] [[Kiruna Station]] of [[ESA]], the European Space Agency, is located in the municipality. So is [[Esrange]], the European Space and Sounding Rocket Range, as well as an [[EISCAT]] station and EISCAT scientific headquarters.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is EISCAT?|url=http://e7.eiscat.se/about/whatiseiscat|access-date=2009-02-03|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620082626/http://e7.eiscat.se/about/whatiseiscat|archive-date=2009-06-20}}</ref>

Also in Kiruna are the [[Institute of Space Physics (Sweden)|Institute of Space Physics]]<ref name="IRF Kiruna"/> and the Department of Space Science belonging to [[Luleå University of Technology]].<ref name="ltu.se"/>

In 2007, the Swedish government announced that Kiruna would be the host of [[Spaceport Sweden]], signing an agreement with [[Virgin Galactic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.se/?id=6476|title=SSC - Swedish Space Corporation - SSC|website=www.ssc.se}}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
[[File:KirunaDogsled.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sled dog|Dog sledding]] is a popular activity in the countryside surrounding Kiruna.]]

In winter, the [[Icehotel (Jukkasjärvi)|Icehotel]] in nearby Jukkasjärvi and [[Aurora (astronomy)|the northern lights]] attract tourists. The long and certain snow cover, which generally lasts from October to May, and frozen lakes and rivers facilitate cross-country and alpine [[skiing]], [[dog sledding]] and [[snowmobile|snowmobiling]]. There is [[ice climbing]] in the mountains and [[ice skating]] on lakes or rivers. The annual Snow Festival is held over the last weekend of January<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kirunalapland.se/en/events/snow-festival-2013/|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130418091942/http://www.kirunalapland.se/en/events/snow-festival-2013/|url-status=dead|archivedate=April 18, 2013|title=Snow festival 2013 › Kiruna Lappland }}</ref> and includes scooter jumping, reindeer racing and an ice sculpture contest.<ref name="kiruna100turism" /><ref name="lappland">{{cite web|url=http://www.lappland.se|title=Kiruna Lappland|access-date=2009-03-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319102438/http://www.lappland.se/|archive-date=2009-03-19}}</ref><ref name="snow">{{cite web|url=http://www.snofestivalen.se/|title=Snöfestivalen|language=sv|access-date=2009-03-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207021832/http://www.snofestivalen.se/|archive-date=2009-02-07}}</ref>