Kittorsaq Island
Encyclopedia
Kittorsaq Island is an uninhabited island
in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
. It is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago
.
, in the group between Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
in the south, and Nuussuaq Peninsula
in the north. Together with Qullikorsuit Island
, it defines the southern boundary of the Sugar Loaf Bay
.
The waters around the island are those of Baffin Bay
in the west and south, and Sugar Loaf Bay in the north. The only other island in the vicinity of Kittorsaq is a much larger Qullikorsuit Island, from which it is separated by a narrow strait near the mouth of the Nasaussap Saqqaa
fjord
.
The island is hilly, but not mountainous, due to its narrowness and wormlike shape. The highest point is an unnamed hill of 151 m (495.4 ft). The island is sometimes used as a stopover on the marine route from Nuussuaq
to Tasiusaq
, and further south to Upernavik
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality 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...
. It is 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...
.
Geography
Kittorsaq Island is located in the north-central part of Upernavik ArchipelagoUpernavik Archipelago
Upernavik Archipelago is a vast archipelago of small islands in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, on the coast of northeastern Baffin Bay...
, in the group between Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
Kangerlussuaq Icefjord
Kangerlussuaq Icefjord is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :...
in the south, and Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq 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...
in the north. Together with Qullikorsuit Island
Qullikorsuit Island
Qullikorsuit Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago.- History :...
, it defines the southern boundary of the 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...
.
The waters around the island are those of Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
in the west and south, and Sugar Loaf Bay in the north. The only other island in the vicinity of Kittorsaq is a much larger Qullikorsuit Island, from which it is separated by a narrow strait near the mouth of the Nasaussap Saqqaa
Nasaussap Saqqaa
Nasaussap Saqqaa is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :The long fjord is an inlet of Sugar Loaf Bay, flowing to the west-north-west between Qullikorsuit Island in the southwest, and the Amitsorsuaq and Nasaussaq islands in the north...
fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
.
The island is hilly, but not mountainous, due to its narrowness and wormlike shape. The highest point is an unnamed hill of 151 m (495.4 ft). The island is sometimes used as a stopover on the marine route from Nuussuaq
Nuussuaq
Nuussuaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the only mainland settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located near the western tip of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the northern coast of Sugar Loaf Bay, an indentiation of Baffin Bay.The settlement was...
to Tasiusaq
Tasiusaq, Qaasuitsup
Tasiusaq is an island settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It had 248 inhabitants in 2010...
, and further south to Upernavik
Upernavik
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance...
.