Murman Coast

The coast was originally home to coastal Sámi, and by the 13th century, it was populated by Pomors. The old Russian term Murman is believed to be a corruption of the word Norman, referring to the Norsemen. In Old Norse, this region was referred to as Bjarmaland. From the 13th century, the Novgorodians spread their influence into parts of the Kola Peninsula, leading to a clash in interests with Norway over the right to tax the Sámi; Finnmark and the Murman Coast formed part of a largely undefined frontier region. The two sides signed border treaties in 1251 and 1326; however, hostilities between the Russians and Norwegians along the border continued until the mid-15th century at least, with Moscow inheriting Novgorod's claim to the region. ==Geography==

The Murman Coast is administratively shared between Pechengsky, Kolsky and Lovozersky Districts of Murmansk Oblast, and Zaozyorsk, Vidyayevo, Aleksandrovsk, Murmansk, Severomorsk, Ostrovnoy. The cities of Zaozyorsk, Gadzhiyevo, Polyarny, Snezhnogorsk, Murmansk, Kola, Severomorsk, Ostrovnoy are all located on the Murman Coast. The Murman Coast, excluding Murmansk, is a Russian border security zone, intended to protect the borders of the Russian Federation from unwanted activity. In order to visit the zone, a permit issued by the local FSB department is required. ==See also==