Illulissuaq Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Illulissuaq Peninsula is a mainland peninsula
in northwestern Greenland
, located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago
settlement, perched on the western cape of the peninsula, was very small, and consisted of only several families. Illulik was temporarily abandoned for the first time in 1909, due to relative isolation from other settlements of the region in early 20th century. The settlement was repopulated in 1914, and unlike small, insular villages in Inussulik Bay
and Sugar Loaf Bay
to the south, it survived the post-war
consolidation phase in northwestern Greenland. It was permanently abandoned in 1973.
, is a nunatak
located at 74°22′30"N 56°00′00"W, and rising to 280 m (918.6 ft) above the Greenland ice sheet
reaching the sea level to the south and north of the nunatak. The peninsula has an east-west orientation, jutting westwards into Inussulik Bay
.
In the south, Illulissuaq Peninsula is separated from Nuussuaq Peninsula by the Kangerluarsuk Fjord
, an inlet of Inussulik Bay. The fjord nearly splits the peninsula into two halves, with the western half separated from the nunatak in the east by a low, narrow isthmus
. The western half of the peninsula forks into two, with a small rocky child Paattorfik Peninsula, pointing southwestwards and bounding Kangerluarsuk from the northwest.
The peninsula is approximately 17.4 km (10.8 mi) long. It is mountainous, culminating in several summits, with the highest reaching 796 m (2,611.5 ft) on Paattofrik.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in northwestern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago is a vast archipelago of small islands in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, on the coast of northeastern Baffin Bay...
History
The peninsula was inhabited between 1908 and 1973, although not continuously. The IllulikIllulik
Illulik is a former settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :Illulik was located near the western cape of Illulissuaq Peninsula, a mainland peninsula jutting off the mainland of Greenland into central Inussulik Bay, a bay in the northern part of Upernavik...
settlement, perched on the western cape of the peninsula, was very small, and consisted of only several families. Illulik was temporarily abandoned for the first time in 1909, due to relative isolation from other settlements of the region in early 20th century. The settlement was repopulated in 1914, and unlike small, insular villages in Inussulik Bay
Inussulik Bay
Inussulik Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :The bay is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago, between Kiatassuaq Island in the north and Nuussuaq Peninsula in the south...
and Sugar Loaf Bay
Sugar Loaf Bay
Sugar Loaf Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is an indentiation of northeastern Baffin Bay...
to the south, it survived the post-war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
consolidation phase in northwestern Greenland. It was permanently abandoned in 1973.
Geography
The base of the peninsula, shared with the neighboring Nuussuaq PeninsulaNuussuaq Peninsula (Upernavik Archipelago)
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a mainland peninsula in northwestern Greenland, located at the northern end of Upernavik Archipelago, approximately to the south of Melville Bay...
, is a nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
located at 74°22′30"N 56°00′00"W, and rising to 280 m (918.6 ft) above the Greenland ice sheet
Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet is a vast body of ice covering , roughly 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The ice sheet is almost long in a north-south direction, and its greatest width is at a latitude of 77°N, near its...
reaching the sea level to the south and north of the nunatak. The peninsula has an east-west orientation, jutting westwards into Inussulik Bay
Inussulik Bay
Inussulik Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :The bay is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago, between Kiatassuaq Island in the north and Nuussuaq Peninsula in the south...
.
In the south, Illulissuaq Peninsula is separated from Nuussuaq Peninsula by the Kangerluarsuk Fjord
Kangerluarsuk Fjord
Kangerluarsuk Fjord is a fjord in northwestern Greenland, located at the northern end of Upernavik Archipelago.- Geography :...
, an inlet of Inussulik Bay. The fjord nearly splits the peninsula into two halves, with the western half separated from the nunatak in the east by a low, narrow isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
. The western half of the peninsula forks into two, with a small rocky child Paattorfik Peninsula, pointing southwestwards and bounding Kangerluarsuk from the northwest.
The peninsula is approximately 17.4 km (10.8 mi) long. It is mountainous, culminating in several summits, with the highest reaching 796 m (2,611.5 ft) on Paattofrik.
Promontories
| Name | Direction | Latitude N | Longitude W |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paatrorfiup Nuua | Southwestern Cape | 74°17′20″ | 56°34′20″ |
| Illulik | Western Cape | 74°20′40″ | 56°43′00″ |