Malmö | ||
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From top left to right: Malmö Live, Turning Torso, Emporia, Griffin Sculpture, Lönngården 1950s apartments, and the Öresund Bridge.
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Motto: Mångfald, Möten, Möjligheter (Eng.: Diversity, Meetings, Possibilities) |
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Coordinates: 55°36′21″N 13°02′09″E / 55.60583°N 13.03583°ECoordinates: 55°36′21″N 13°02′09″E / 55.60583°N 13.03583°E | ||
Country | Sweden | |
Province | Scania | |
County | Skåne County | |
Municipality |
Malmö Municipality and Burlöv Municipality |
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Charter | 13th century | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (Social Democrats) | |
Area | ||
• City | 158.4 km2 (61.2 sq mi) | |
• Land | 156.9 km2 (60.6 sq mi) | |
• Water | 1.5 km2 (0.6 sq mi) | |
• Urban | 77 km2 (30 sq mi) | |
• Metro | 2,522 km2 (974 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) | |
Population (31 March 2012) | ||
• City | 342,457 | |
• Urban | 324,908 | |
• Urban density | 1,946/km2 (5,040/sq mi) | |
• Metro | 703,920 | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 21x xx | |
Area code(s) | (+46) 40 | |
Website | www |
Malmö (IPA /ˈmælmə/; Swedish pronunciation: [²malːmøː]; Danish: Malmø) is the capital and largest city of the Swedish county of Scania. Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden, after and Gothenburg, and the 6th biggest city in the Nordic countries, with a population of above 300,000. The Malmö Metropolitan Region is home to 700,000 people, and the Øresund Region, which includes Malmö, is home to 3.9 million people.
Malmö was one of the earliest and most industrialized towns of Scandinavia, but it struggled with the adaptation to post-industrialism. Since the construction of the Øresund Bridge, Malmö has undergone a major transformation with architectural developments, and it has attracted new biotech and IT companies, and particularly students through Malmö University, founded in 1998. The city contains many historic buildings and parks, and is also a commercial centre for the western part of Scania.
The earliest written mention of Malmö as a city dates from 1275. It is thought to have been founded a couple of decades earlier, as a fortified quay or ferry berth of the Archbishop of Lund, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the north-east. Malmö was for centuries Denmark's second-biggest city. Its original name was Malmhaug (with alternate spellings), meaning "Gravel pile" or "Ore Hill".