town, Murmansk oblast (region), northwestern Russia. It lies at the head of Pechenga Bay on the Barents Sea coast. Dating from the 16th century, the town was in northern Finland between 1919 and 1940 and was the terminus of the Arctic Highway from the Gulf of Bothnia. It is linked by rail to Murmansk, but its port functions, especially for the adjacent copper- and nickel-mining area, have largely been usurped by its outport of Liinakhamari. Pop. (2002) 2,959.