The town is located on the southern end of Altafjorden at the mouth of the river Altaelva.

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Alta.

The town has port facilities along Altafjorden, just alongside Alta Airport in Elvebakken.

The airport has direct flights to Oslo and certain other big cities in Norway like Tromsø.

The main industries present in Alta include a concrete product factory; several wood mills and sawmills; and dairy, horticulture trade, and maritime services.