Sigguup Nunaa
Encyclopedia
Nunavik Peninsula is a large peninsula
in northwestern Greenland
. It separates two cultural and geographical regions of northwestern Greenland: Uummannaq Fjord
region in the southeast, and Upernavik Archipelago
in the north.
. To the south and southeast the peninsula is bounded by the Uummannaq Fjord system, an inlet of Baffin Bay. Ukkusissat Fjord carves deeply into the terrain, running south to north-east-north around the eastern part of the peninsula covered with the Sermikavasak glacier.
municipality. It is largely uninhabited − permanent settlements are located in the Upernavik Archipelago
off the north-west-northern coast of the peninsula, including Upernavik Kujalleq
, Kangersuatsiaq
, Upernavik
town, and Aappilattoq
. There are several settlements on the islands off the southwestern coast, including Nuugaatsiaq
and Illorsuit
in the Uummannaq Fjord
system. Ukkusissat
is the only mainland settlement in the vicinity, located on the smaller, Ukkusissat Peninsula.
and Paleocene
origin, with further layers deposited during the movement of Greenland towards the North Pole
. Similarly to the Uummannaq
area, ancient volcanic basalt
s are exposed throughout the peninsula.
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...
. It separates two cultural and geographical regions of northwestern Greenland: Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
region in the southeast, and 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...
in the north.
Geography
The peninsula extends to the south-west from mainland Greenland (71°49′N 54°25′W). The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin BayBaffin 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...
. To the south and southeast the peninsula is bounded by the Uummannaq Fjord system, an inlet of Baffin Bay. Ukkusissat Fjord carves deeply into the terrain, running south to north-east-north around the eastern part of the peninsula covered with the Sermikavasak glacier.
Inner fjords
Several fjords cut deep into the peninsula. Running from the western shore inland to then turn north, Sullua (4x50km) is the main waterway, cutting the peninsula into two parts, northwestern being the smaller. Parallel Umiiviup Kangerlua (4x8km) and Kangiusap Imaa (3x7km) fjord bays cut into the southeastern shore, branching off the Uummannaq Fjord system.Settlements
The peninsula is administered as part of the 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...
municipality. It is largely uninhabited − permanent settlements are located in the 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...
off the north-west-northern coast of the peninsula, including Upernavik Kujalleq
Upernavik Kujalleq
Upernavik Kujalleq is an island settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Founded in 1855 as a trading station, the settlement had 204 inhabitants in 2010.- Upernavik Archipelago :...
, Kangersuatsiaq
Kangersuatsiaq
Kangersuatsiaq is an island settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It had 186 inhabitants in 2010.- Upernavik Archipelago :...
, 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...
town, and Aappilattoq
Aappilattoq, Qaasuitsup
Aappilattoq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on an island of the same name in the southern part of Upernavik Archipelago. Founded in 1805, the settlement had 180 inhabitants in 2010.- Upernavik Archipelago :...
. There are several settlements on the islands off the southwestern coast, including Nuugaatsiaq
Nuugaatsiaq
Nuugaatsiaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland, located on an island off the southern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula, in the Uummannaq Fjord basin...
and Illorsuit
Illorsuit
Illorsuit is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in western Greenland. Located on the northeastern shore of Illorsuit Island − northwest of Uummannaq at the mouth of the Uummannaq Fjord − the settlement had 91 inhabitants in 2010.- Transport :Air Greenland serves the village as part of...
in the Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
system. Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 170 in 2010.- Geography :...
is the only mainland settlement in the vicinity, located on the smaller, Ukkusissat Peninsula.
Geology
Rocks and sediments on Nunavik Peninsula are of CretaceousCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
and Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
origin, with further layers deposited during the movement of Greenland towards the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. Similarly to the Uummannaq
Uummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,299 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal...
area, ancient volcanic basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
s are exposed throughout the peninsula.
External links
- 1:250000 map of the peninsula at Greenland-guide.gl