Uummannaq Fjord is a large
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
system in the northern part of western
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
, 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.
Geography
With the exception of the southwestern
coast
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
formed by the
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula (, old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq'') is a large (180x48 km) 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, ...
, Uummannaq fjord has a developed coastline, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Tributary fjords
South to north:
[Nuussuaq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992]
*
Ikerasak Fjord
Ikerasak Fjord ( kl, Ikerasaup Sullua, also Qarajaq Icefjord, or da, Qarajaqs Isfjord) is a fjord in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland.
Geography
The fjord constitutes the innermost part of the Uummannaq Fjord at the base of ...
( kl, Ikerasaup Sullua, also Qarajaq Icefjord) − the innermost part of the fjord at the base of Nuussuaq Peninsula.
Store Gletscher
Store may refer to:
Enterprises
* Retail store, a shop where merchandise is sold, usually products and usually on a retail basis, and where wares are often kept
** App store, an online retail store where apps are sold, included in many mobile op ...
flowing from the
Greenland Ice Sheet 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 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
Ukkusissat (, old spelling: ''Uvkusigssat'') is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 154 in 2020. The name means soapstone.
Geography
The settlement abuts the northwestern t ...
.
Appat Island
Appat Island (old spelling: ''Agpat'') is an uninhabited[No ...](_blank)
lies at the mouth of the fjord, separated from the Ukkusissat peninsula by the
Torsukattak Strait
Torsukattak Strait (old spelling: ''Torssukátak'') is a strait in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland.
Geography
Located in the northeastern part of Uummannaq Fjord, it separates the Ukkusissat Peninsula in the northeast from ...
, an extension of Itillarsuup Kangerlua.
*
Perlerfiup Kangerlua − 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 Island
Appat Island (old spelling: ''Agpat'') is an uninhabited[No ...](_blank)
*
Ikerasak Island
*
Illorsuit Island
Illorsuit Island ( kl, Illorsuip qeqertaat, da, Ubekendt Ejland) is an island in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland.
Geography
The island is pear-shaped, and at ,
*
Saattut Island
*
Salleq Island
*
Salliaruseq Island
*
Talerua Island
*
Upernivik Island − at the largest island
*
Uummannaq Island − dominated by the prominent
Uummannaq Mountain
Settlement
Prehistory
Sheltered from the coastal winds by the high, glaciated mountains of the
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula (, old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq'') is a large (180x48 km) 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, ...
, 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 (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
migrations in the past−the area has been settled and resettled for the last 4.500 years.
Excavations at Qilakitsoq
Archaeological excavations in
Qilakitsoq
Qilakitsoq is an abandoned settlement and an important archaeological site in Greenland. It became known as the discovery location of eight mummified corpses from the Thule period. The Inuit mummies of Qilakitsoq offer important insights in ...
on the northeastern shore
Nuussuaq Peninsula
Nuussuaq Peninsula (, old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq'') is a large (180x48 km) 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, ...
due south of Uummannaq Island revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the
Saqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture (named after the Saqqaq settlement, the site of many archaeological finds) was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in southern Greenland. Up to this day, no other people seem to have lived in Greenland continually for as long as the Saqqaq ...
, 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
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern
Native Americans and the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
.
Modern settlement
During the early phases of Greenlandic exploration, the fjord was known as Jacob's Bight and Omenak Fjord.
[Colton, G.W.]
Northern America. British, Russian & Danish Possessions In North America.
J.H. Colton & Co. (New York), 1855.
The main urban settlement today is
Uummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Avannaata municipality, in central-western Greenland. With 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Founded in 1763 as Omenak, t ...
, once an administrative center of a municipality which covered the entire catchment area of Uummannaq Fjord, and now part of
Avannaata municipality of northwestern Greenland, the largest municipality in the country.
Ikerasak
Ikerasak() is a village in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland. It had 233 inhabitants in 2020.
Geography
Ikerasak is located approximately 45 km southeast from Uummannaq, at the southeastern end of Ikerasak Island in the nor ...
,
Illorsuit
Illorsuit (; old spelling: ''Igdlorssuit'') is a former settlement in Avannaata municipality, in western Greenland. Located on the northeastern shore of Illorsuit Island − northwest of Uummannaq at the mouth of the Uummannaq Fjord − the settl ...
,
Nuugaatsiaq
Nuugaatsiaq (old spelling: ''Nûgâtsiaq'') is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland, located on an island off the southern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula, in the Uummannaq Fjord basin. It had 84 inhabitants in 20 ...
, and
Saattut are small island settlements, whereas
Ukkusissat
Ukkusissat (, old spelling: ''Uvkusigssat'') is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland. The population of the settlement was 154 in 2020. The name means soapstone.
Geography
The settlement abuts the northwestern t ...
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 (old spelling: ''Kaersut'') is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula. It had 174 inhabitants in 2020.
History
The first coal mine in Greenlan ...
and
Niaqornat
Niaqornat (Kalaallisut: "head-shaped") is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. The settlement is located on the northern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, with a wide view over Uummannaq Fjord.Nuussuaq, Saga Map, Ta ...
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
Upernavik Archipelago is a vast coastal archipelago in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, off the shores of northeastern Baffin Bay. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula in the south at ...
in the north are uninhabited.
References
External links
Volcanic development in the Nuussuaq Basin, West Greenland
{{Coord, 70, 57, N, 53, 00, W, scale:2000000, display=title
Fjords of Greenland