Seaport (pop., 1999 est.: 382,700), northwestern Russia.
Situated on the eastern shore of Kola Bay near the Barents Sea , it is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle . Its ice-free harbour makes it Russia's only port with unrestricted access to the Atlantic. Founded in 1915 as a supply port in World War I, it was a base for the British, French, and U.S. forces against the Bolshevik s in 1918; it also served as a major supply base during World War II. In addition to a Russian naval base, it has a large fishing fleet and fish-processing industry.