Skellefteå

Skellefteå (shĕlĕf`təō'), city (1990 pop. 31,050), Västerbotten co., NE Sweden, on the Skellefteälven River inland from its mouth on the Gulf of Bothnia. The center of a rich mining region (copper, lead, gold, silver, arsenic, and zinc), the city has hydropower, engineering, and computer and other high-technology industries. Settlement in the area dates to 6000 B.C. The city was first chartered in 1621 and was rechartered in 1845, when its modern growth began. The Nordanå area has many historic buildings.