Sermersooq
Encyclopedia
Sermersooq is a new municipality in Greenland
, operational from 1 January 2009. It is home to Nuuk
(formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and is the most populous municipality in the country, with 21,232 inhabitants as of January 2010. The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:
. In the south, it is flanked by the Kujalleq
municipality, with the border running alongside Alanngorsuaq Fjord
. The waters flowing around the western coastline of the municipality are that of Labrador Sea
, which to the north narrows down to form Davis Strait
separating the island of Greenland from Baffin Island
.
In the northwest, the municipality is bordered by the Qeqqata
municipality, and further north by the Qaasuitsup municipality. The latter border however runs north-south through the center (45° West
meridian
) of the Greenland ice sheet
− and as such is free of traffic. In the north the municipality is bordered by the Northeast Greenland National Park
. In the east, near the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit
, the municipal shores straddle the Kangertittivaq
fjord, which empties into the cold Greenland Sea
. The southeastern shores are bordered by the waters of the Denmark Strait
, which separates the island of Greenland from Iceland
.
and Kulusuk Airport
operated year-round by Air Greenland
.
is also in use in the bigger towns. Tunumiit oraasiat, the East Greenlandic dialect, is spoken on the eastern coast.
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...
, operational from 1 January 2009. It is home to Nuuk
Nuuk
Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
(formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and is the most populous municipality in the country, with 21,232 inhabitants as of January 2010. The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:
- Ammassalik Municipality
- Ittoqqortoormiit MunicipalityIttoqqortoormiit MunicipalityIttoqqortoormiit Municipality was one of the two municipalities of East Greenland. Since 1 January 2009 it has been incorporated into the Sermersooq municipality. It encompassed an area of 235,000 km² along the Denmark Strait and the Greenland Sea...
- Ivittuut Municipality
- Nuuk MunicipalityNuuk MunicipalityNuuk Municipality was one of the municipalities of Greenland until 31 December 2008. On 1 January 2009, it was merged with four other former municipalities into the new Sermersooq municipality. The central town is Nuuk....
- Paamiut MunicipalityPaamiut MunicipalityPaamiut Municipality was a municipality in Greenland until 31 December 2008. its area is now incorporated into the new Sermersooq municipality....
Towns and settlements
- ArsukArsukArsuk is a village in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. It had 156 inhabitants in 2010. The name of the settlement means the beloved place in the Greenlandic language...
- IsortoqIsortoqIsortoq is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality, in southeastern Greenland. Its population is 93 as of 2010.- Population :...
- IttoqqortoormiitIttoqqortoormiitIttoqqortoormiit is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland. Its population is 469 as of 2010.The Danish name Scoresbysund derives from the name of the Arctic explorer and whaler William Scoresby, who was the first to map the area in 1822. The Greenlandic name...
(Scoresbysund) - KangilinnguitKangilinnguitKangilinnguit is a settlement and a naval base in the Sermersooq municipality, located at the mouth of Arsuk Fjord in southwestern Greenland. The settlement had 160 inhabitants in 2010, most of whom are Danish Navy personnel, attached to Island Command Greenland headquarters...
(Grønnedal) - KapisillitKapisillitKapisillit is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. In 2010, the settlement had 86 inhabitants Kapisillit means the salmon in the Greenlandic language...
- KulusukKulusukKulusuk is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, located on an island of the same name. The settlement population of 286 is quite uncommon for an Inuit settlement in Greenland with many Danes choosing to live there, due to the airport...
(Kap Dan) - Kuummiit
- NuukNuukNuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
(Godthåb) - PaamiutPaamiutPaamiut is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. The name of the town means "they who reside by the mouth" in Greenlandic.- Geography :...
(Frederikshåb) - QeqertarsuatsiaatQeqertarsuatsiaatQeqertarsuatsiaat is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality, in southwestern Greenland, located on an island off the shores of Labrador Sea. Its population is 235 as of 2010. The Greenlandic name of the town means 'the quite large island'.- History :...
- SermiligaaqSermiligaaqSermiligaaq is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. Its population is 222 as of 2010...
- TasiilaqTasiilaqTasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland...
(Ammassalik) - TiniteqilaaqTiniteqilaaqTiniteqilaaq is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality, in southeastern Greenland. Its population is 134 as of 2010.- Population :...
Geography
The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with the area of 531900 square kilometre. It is the second largest municipality in the world by area, after QaasuitsupQaasuitsup
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...
. In the south, it is flanked by the Kujalleq
Kujalleq
Kujalleq is a new municipality in the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. With 7,589 inhabitants as of January 2010, it is the least-populated municipality in Greenland. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq...
municipality, with the border running alongside Alanngorsuaq Fjord
Alanngorsuaq Fjord
Alanngorsuaq Fjord is a fjord in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. At the mouth of the fjord the coastline of southwestern Greenland turns to the east towards Qaqortoq.- Geography :...
. The waters flowing around the western coastline of the municipality are that of Labrador Sea
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait...
, which to the north narrows down to form Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
separating the island of Greenland from Baffin Island
Baffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
.
In the northwest, the municipality is bordered by the Qeqqata
Qeqqata
Qeqqata is a new municipality in western Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The municipality was named after its location in central-western part of the country. Its population is 9,677 as of January 2010. The administrative center of the municipality is in Sisimiut...
municipality, and further north by the Qaasuitsup municipality. The latter border however runs north-south through the center (45° West
45th meridian west
The meridian 45° west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, the Atlantic Ocean, South America, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
meridian
Meridian (geography)
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...
) of 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...
− and as such is free of traffic. In the north the municipality is bordered by the Northeast Greenland National Park
Northeast Greenland National Park
Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest national park in the world, with an area of , making the park larger than 163 countries. It is the only national park in Greenland, and the most northerly national park in the world, its most northerly point reaching slightly further than the most...
. In the east, near the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit
Ittoqqortoormiit
Ittoqqortoormiit is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland. Its population is 469 as of 2010.The Danish name Scoresbysund derives from the name of the Arctic explorer and whaler William Scoresby, who was the first to map the area in 1822. The Greenlandic name...
, the municipal shores straddle the Kangertittivaq
Scoresby Sund
Scoresby Sund is an inlet system of the Greenland Sea on the eastern coast of Greenland. It has a tree-like structure, with a main body approximately long that branches into a system of fjords covering an area of about . The longest of these extends 340–350 km in from the coastline...
fjord, which empties into the cold Greenland Sea
Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes as part of the...
. The southeastern shores are bordered by the waters of the Denmark Strait
Denmark Strait
The Denmark Strait or Greenland Strait |Sound]]) is an oceanic strait between Greenland and Iceland...
, which separates the island of Greenland from Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
Transport
Sermersooq is one of two municipalities straddling the western and eastern sides of the island, but is the only municipality where settlements on both coasts are connected via scheduled flights between Nuuk AirportNuuk Airport
Nuuk Airport is an airport in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The airport is a technical base and focus city for Air Greenland, the flag-carrier airline of Greenland, linking the capital with several towns in western and south-western part of the country, including the airline hub at Kangerlussuaq...
and Kulusuk Airport
Kulusuk Airport
Kulusuk Airport is an airport in Kulusuk, a settlement on an island of the same name off the shore of the North Atlantic in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland.- Airlines and destinations :- Bottlenecks :...
operated year-round by Air Greenland
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
.
Language
Kalaallisut, the West Greenlandic dialect is spoken in the towns and settlements of the western coast. DanishDanish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
is also in use in the bigger towns. Tunumiit oraasiat, the East Greenlandic dialect, is spoken on the eastern coast.