Murmansk is a port city located in the far northwest part of Russia. It serves as the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast and is situated on both slopes and banks of Kola Bay, with the majority of its area positioned on the east bank of the inlet.
The city is notable for being the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle. It functions as a major port of the Arctic Ocean, located approximately 100 kilometres from the Norwegian border and 180 kilometres from the Finnish border. Kola Bay itself is an estuarine inlet of the Barents Sea.