Afrikanda (rural locality)

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Afrikanda is a rural locality in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, on the Kola Peninsula beyond the Arctic Circle. It sits about 140 meters above sea level. The population was 1,644 in the 2010 Census. Administratively, Afrikanda is part of Polyarnye Zori Town with Jurisdictional Territory and is included in the Polyarnye Zori Urban Okrug for municipal purposes. The name came from railway engineers who joked the area was "as hot as Africa," and the future station was called Afrikanda. It used to be classified as an urban-type settlement, but it was downgraded to a rural locality on January 1, 2005. Afrikanda has a small railway station on the Kirov Railway between Polyarnye Zori and Apatity, and there is an air base named Afrikanda just north of the locality. Postal code 184220; dialing code +7 81532. Coordinates: 67°26′27″N 32°47′29″E. Time zone: UTC+3 (MSK).