Uummannaq Fjord
Encyclopedia
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord
system in the northern part of western Greenland
, the largest after Kangertittivaq
fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin Bay
in the northwest.
formed by the Nuussuaq Peninsula
, Uummannaq fjord has a developed coastline, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Sheltered from the coastal winds by the high, glaciated mountains of the Nuussuaq Peninsula
, the area of Uummannaq Fjord is considered the sunniest spot in Greenland. Favourable weather conditions, good harbours, and proximity to the coastal route made the fjord system attractive to numerous southbound Inuit
migrations in the past−the area has been settled and resettled for the last 4.500 years.
on the northeastern shore Nuussuaq Peninsula
due south of Uummannaq Island revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the Saqqaq culture
, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
Recent DNA samples
from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came from Siberia
about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern Native Americans
and the Inuit
.
, once an administrative center of a municipality which covered the entire catchment area of Uummannaq Fjord, and now part of the Qaasuitsup
municipality of northwestern Greenland, the largest municipality in the country. Ikerasak
, Illorsuit
, Nuugaatsiaq
, and Saattut
are small island settlements, whereas Ukkusissat
lies on the mainland in the inner parts of the fjord.
The northeastern coastline of Nuussuaq Peninsula is sparsely inhabited or uninhabited in the south, with Qaarsut
and Niaqornat
near the mouth of the fjord being the only settlements. Sigguup Nunaa
peninsula and adjacent lands between the mouth of the fjord and Upernavik Archipelago
in the north are uninhabited.
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...
system in the northern part of western 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...
, the largest after 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 in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the 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 northwest.
Geography
With the exception of the southwestern coastCoast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
formed by the Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
, Uummannaq fjord has a developed coastline, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Tributary fjords
South to north:- Ikerasak FjordIkerasak FjordIkerasak Fjord is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland.- Geography :The fjord constitutes the innermost part of the Uummannaq Fjord at the base of Nuussuaq Peninsula...
− the innermost part of the fjord at the base of Nuussuaq Peninsula. Store Gletscher flowing from the Greenland Ice SheetGreenland ice sheetThe 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...
empties into Ikerasak Fjord. - Qaraassap Imaa − a tributary fjord emptying into Ikerasak Fjord from the north, between Qaraasap Nunataa headland in the southeast, and Drygalski Peninsula in the northwest. Lille Gletscher flowing from the ice sheet empties into Qaraasaap Imaa.
- Sermillip Kangerlua − a tributary fjord with several inlets of its own, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east, to the southeast of Salliaruseq IslandSalliaruseq IslandSalliaruseq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its central part due east of Uummannaq Island...
. From the south, it is bounded by Drygalski Peninsula. From the north, it is bounded by the Itillarssuup Qaqaa peninsula. - Itillarsuup Kangerlua − a long tributary fjord, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east. From the southwest, it is bounded by the Itillarsuup Qaqaa peninsula. From the northeast, it abuts the inner envelope of the island of Greenland, with Kangilleq and Sermeq Sillarleq glaciers emptying into it. From the north, it is bounded by the long Ukkusissat Peninsula. Appat IslandAppat IslandAppat Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its north-central part....
lies at the mouth of the fjord, separated from the Ukkusissat peninsula by the Torsukattak Strait, an extension of Itillarsuup Kangerlua. - Perlerfiup KangerluaPerlerfiup KangerluaPerlerfiup Kangerlua is a fjord in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is a tributary fjord of the larger Uummannaq Fjord system.- Geography :...
− a long tributary fjord, emptying into the northeastern part of the Uummannaq Fjord. From the south it is bounded by the Ukkusissat Peninsula. From the north it is bounded by the Perlerfiup Nunaa peninsula.
Islands
The following are the major islands of Uummannaq Fjord:- Appat IslandAppat IslandAppat Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its north-central part....
- Ikerasak IslandIkerasak IslandIkerasak Island is an island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located in the southeastern part of Uummannaq Fjord, at the mouth of Ikerasak Fjord, its innermost section.- Geography :...
- Illorsuit Island
- Saattut Island
- Salleq IslandSalleq IslandSalleq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is located in the north-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord...
- Salliaruseq IslandSalliaruseq IslandSalliaruseq Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its central part due east of Uummannaq Island...
- Talerua IslandTalerua IslandTalerua Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located in the southeastern part of Uummannaq Fjord, at the mouth of Ikerasak Fjord, its innermost section.- Geography :...
- Upernivik IslandUpernivik IslandUpernivik Island is an uninhabited island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. At , it is the largest island in the Uummannaq Fjord area, located in its northern part. Upernivik island is very mountainous. Its highest point is Palup Qaqqaa, at ....
− at 540 square kilometre the largest island - Uummannaq IslandUummannaq IslandUummannaq Island is a small island in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Located in the south-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord, it is home to the most prominent mountain on the Arctic coast of western Greenland, and to Uummannaq, the largest town north of Ilulissat.The...
− dominated by the prominent Uummannaq MountainUummannaq (mountain)Uummannaq is a high, prominent, isolated mountain in northwestern Greenland, located on the small Uummannaq Island in the central part of the Uummannaq Fjord. It entirely dominates the landscape of the island, its base occupying its entire northern half. Formed of granite and basement gneiss, it...
Prehistory
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
, the area of Uummannaq Fjord is considered the sunniest spot in Greenland. Favourable weather conditions, good harbours, and proximity to the coastal route made the fjord system attractive to numerous southbound Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
migrations in the past−the area has been settled and resettled for the last 4.500 years.
Excavations at Qilakitsoq
Archaeological excavations in QilakitsoqQilakitsoq
Qilakitsoq is an archaeological site on Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the shore of Uummannaq Fjord in northwestern Greenland. Formally a settlement, it is famous for the discovery of eight mummified bodies in 1972.- Archaeological finds :...
on the northeastern shore Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large peninsula in western Greenland.- Geography :The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait which...
due south of Uummannaq Island revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the Saqqaq culture
Saqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in Greenland.-Timeframe:...
, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
Recent DNA samples
Genetic testing
Genetic testing is among the newest and most sophisticated of techniques used to test for genetic disorders which involves direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. Other genetic tests include biochemical tests for such gene products as enzymes and other proteins and for microscopic...
from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
and the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
.
Modern settlement
The main urban settlement today is UummannaqUummannaq
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...
, once an administrative center of a municipality which covered the entire catchment area of Uummannaq Fjord, and now part of 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 of northwestern Greenland, the largest municipality in the country. Ikerasak
Ikerasak
Ikerasak is a village in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It had 238 inhabitants in 2010.- Geography :Ikerasak is located approximately 45 km southeast from Uummannaq, at the southeastern end of Ikerasak Island in the northwestern part of Ikerasak Fjord, where it widens into...
, 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...
, 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 Saattut
Saattut
Saattut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland, Located on a small Saattut Island, southeast of Appat Island and northeast of Uummannaq in the Uummannaq Fjord system, the settlement had 212 inhabitants in 2010.- Transport :Air Greenland serves the village as part...
are small island settlements, whereas Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 170 in 2010.- Geography :...
lies on the mainland in the inner parts of the fjord.
The northeastern coastline of Nuussuaq Peninsula is sparsely inhabited or uninhabited in the south, with Qaarsut
Qaarsut
Qaarsut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula...
and Niaqornat
Niaqornat
Niaqornat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Niaqornat means “the head-shaped” in Greenlandic. The settlement is located on the northern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, with a wide view over Uummannaq Fjord...
near the mouth of the fjord being the only settlements. Sigguup Nunaa
Sigguup Nunaa
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.- Geography :...
peninsula and adjacent lands between the mouth of the fjord 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 are uninhabited.
| Settlement | Latitude N | Longitude W | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
71°32'06 | 53°12'45 | 94 | The northernmost settlement |
| 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... |
71°14'30 | 53°34'00 | 99 | |
| Ukkusissat Ukkusissat Ukkusissat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 170 in 2010.- Geography :... |
71°02'57 | 51°53'15 | 184 | |
| Saattut Saattut Saattut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland, Located on a small Saattut Island, southeast of Appat Island and northeast of Uummannaq in the Uummannaq Fjord system, the settlement had 212 inhabitants in 2010.- Transport :Air Greenland serves the village as part... |
70°48'42 | 51°38'00 | 243 | |
| Niaqornat Niaqornat Niaqornat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Niaqornat means “the head-shaped” in Greenlandic. The settlement is located on the northern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, with a wide view over Uummannaq Fjord... |
70°47'20 | 53°39'50 | 68 | The smallest settlement |
| Qaarsut Qaarsut Qaarsut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula... |
70°43'55 | 52°38'15 | 200 | Host to the only airport in the area |
| 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... |
70°40'29 | 52°07'35 | 1500 | The only town of any size and a cultural center |
| Ikerasak Ikerasak Ikerasak is a village in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It had 238 inhabitants in 2010.- Geography :Ikerasak is located approximately 45 km southeast from Uummannaq, at the southeastern end of Ikerasak Island in the northwestern part of Ikerasak Fjord, where it widens into... |
70°30'10 | 51°18'10 | 261 | The southernmost settlement |