Ålesund is a town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Heissa, Aspøya, Nørvøya with newer developments located on the islands of Uksenøya the outer parts of the "urban area" even stretch onto the island of Sula which is in the neighboring Sula Municipality. The town is the main headquarters for the Norwegian Coastal Administration as well as the location of the Sunnmøre District Court.
In Norwegian, Ålesund is considered to be a by which can be translated as a town or a city. Ålesund is the ninth largest town/city in Norway. The town has become more of an urban agglomeration during the late part of the 20th century and the urban area has spread out and into the neighboring municipality. The 28.22-square-kilometre town has a population of 52,626 and a population density of 1,865 inhabitants per square kilometre. About 21.24 square kilometres of the town with a population of 44,070 lies in Ålesund Municipality and the remaining 6.98 square kilometres of the town with a population of 8,556 lies in Sula Municipality.