Kulusuk (old spelling: ''Qulusuk''Eastgreenland.com.
Kulusuk
".), formerly Kap Dan, is a settlement in the

Sermersooq Sermersooq (, da, sted med meget is, lit=place of much ice) is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in southeastern

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 ...

, located on an island of the same name. The settlement population of 241 includes many

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

choosing to live there due to the airport. In the

Kalaallisut language West Greenlandic ( da, vestgrønlandsk), also known as Kalaallisut, is the primary language of Greenland and constitutes the Greenlandic language, spoken by the vast majority of the inhabitants of Greenland, as well as by thousands of Greenland ...

, the name of the village means "Chest of a

Black Guillemot The black guillemot or tystie (''Cepphus grylle'') is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family, native throughout northern Atlantic coasts and eastern North American coasts. It is resident in much of its range, but large populations from the ...

Geography

The urbanized area of the settlement is centered around the harbour in the northwestern part of the island, on the shores of the Torsuut Tunoq sound. Industrial utility buildings are also scattered in the vicinity of the airport, to the northwest of the runway.

Kulusuk Island

The island measures from north to south and from west to east. It is hilly throughout, with several distinct mountains dominating the eastern and southern coast. The southernmost point is Cape Naujaangivit, formerly Cape Dan ( da, Kap Dan, a name previously extended to the settlement and island) under the Isikajia mountain.

Qalorujoorneq

The highest point on the island is the summit of

Qalorujoorneq Qalorngoorneq is a small mountain range in the eastern part of Kulusuk Island in Sermersooq Municipality, southeastern Greenland. At topping a wide mountain massif in the southeast, directly above the airport.

History

From prehistory until 15th century

The Saqqaq people were the first to reach eastern Greenland, arriving from the northeastgreenland.com
''History of East Greenland'' through what is now known as Peary Land and Independence Fjord. They were displaced by the

Dorset culture The Dorset was a Paleo-Eskimo culture, lasting from to between and , that followed the Pre-Dorset and preceded the Thule people (proto-Inuit) in the North American Arctic. The culture and people are named after Cape Dorset (now Kinngait) in ...

around 3,000 years ago. The

Thule people The Thule (, , ) or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by the year 1000 and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people o ...

passed through the area in the 15th century, finding the southeastern coast uninhabited.

18th and 19th centuries

Due to back-migrations to the more densely populated western coast, the southeastern coast was deserted for another two hundred years. The region was not settled until the late 18th century, with the current town of

Tasiilaq Tasiilaq, formerly Ammassalik and Angmagssalik, is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,985 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Gree ...

then known as ''Ammassalik'' surviving as the only permanent settlement in the 19th century. Population increased however from the 1880s, dispersing over several villages in the area.

20th century

The small Kulusuk Island was not permanently settled until the early 1900s, with the village founded only in 1909, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009. The church in the village was constructed in 1908 by the crew of a Danish sailing vessel that ran aground on the nearby coast and constructed from the timbers of the ship itself.greennet.gl
A model of the ship still hangs above the

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

of the church, rebuilt and brought into its present state in 1922. Kulusuk-winter-sunset

The village cemetery is located about southeast of the village center, on

permafrost Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0 °C (32 °F) for two or more years, located on land or under the ocean. Most common in the Northern Hemisphere, around 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or 11% of the global surface ...

ground, straddling the southern and northern slopes of a small hill. No names appear on the crosses in honour of the Inuit tradition that the name of the deceased is passed on to another at death and lives on to the next generation. Kulusuk2018

In the 1930s the population reached 165 inhabitants, the village surpassing the older Tasiilaq as the largest settlement in the region. As of 2013, Kulusuk is the third-largest settlement in the region, after Tasiilaq and

Kuummiit Kuummiit (Kalaallisut: ''Kuummiut'') is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. Founded in 1915, it had 248 inhabitants in 2020. Geography The settlement is located on the eastern shore of the Ammassalik Fjord, ap ...

, and the fourth-largest on the eastern coast, although the number of villagers dipped below 300 in the late 2000s.

Language

Due to its relative and longstanding isolation, the dialect of Greenlandic spoken in Kulusuk, ''Tunumiit oraasiat'', differs from that of its relatives of the western coast. Amongst Greenlandic dialects, it is considered the most innovative.

Facilities

Medical services are provided by one resident Danish nurse and one resident educated local helper. The school, which was rebuilt in 2005, has about 70 pupils with a high proportion of educated teachers. In 2009 the village received permission from the Sermersooq municipal authorities to convert the old

Royal Greenland Royal Greenland A/S is a fishing company in Greenland, spun off from Kalaallit Niuerfiat in 1990 but still wholly owned by the Government of Greenland. The company operates in a number of towns and settlements in Greenland, with 20 fish process ...

fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...

plant for school use. Few families have access to running water. Despite the harsh, icy winter,

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

drawn from the centrally located lake is available all year round through the central pump installation. As in most settlements in Greenland, pipe waterworks are led above the ground due to

. The village is served by the communal all-purpose

Pilersuisoq Pilersuisoq is a chain of all-purpose general stores in Greenland, a major division of the state-owned KNI conglomerate. Like its parent company, it is based in Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), the second-largest town in Greenland. Lars Behrendt is ...

store with an integrated a post office of Post Greenland. The village has a small Lutheran church, which includes elegant stained glass windows donated by a German glassworks owner. Kulusuk Church Interior

Tourism

Unemployment is high and many of the villagers depend upon tourism to supplement the more traditional pursuits of hunting and fishing. The village is served by Hotel Kulusuk which was erected in 1999 and provides a base for tourists and hikers. Day trips organized by the hotel and

Icelandair Icelandair is the flag carrier airline of Iceland, with its corporate head office on the property of Reykjavík Airport in the capital city Reykjavik. Linked from here It is part of the Icelandair Group and operates to destinations on both ...

focus on the traditional culture of eastern Greenland, including drum dance performances and dogsledding. In summer, activities as glacier walks, ice climbing and visiting ice caves can be done with the help of local adventure companies. In winter it is possible to cross the frozen sounds, making Kulusuk no less attractive for

mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, ...

, climbers, and polar adventurers than the neighboring Tasiilaq. The mountains on Apusiaajik Island dominating the Kulusuk panorama culminate in several summits, whilst the front of the active Apusiaajik

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

can be reached on foot or by

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

. Polar cruises bound for, or returning from the coastal voyages in the Kangertittivaq fjord and the shores of

Northeast Greenland National Park Northeast Greenland National Park ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq, da, Grønlands Nationalpark) is the world's largest national park and the 10th largest protected area (the only larger protected areas all consist mostly of sea) ...

often visit the area on their way from/to Tasiilaq, albeit without anchoring in the harbour due to the shallowness of the coastal waters.

Population

The population of Kulusuk has decreased by 23% relative to the 1990 levels, and by over 19% relative to the 2000 levels.

Transport

The village is served by Kulusuk Airport, one of two international airports in eastern Greenland. It provides direct connections to Nuuk on the western coast,

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

, and Tasiilaq on

Ammassalik Island Ammassalik Island ( da, Ammassalik Ø) is an island in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, with an area of .

, which links many other villages in the region through settlement helicopter flights. In the summer, the cargo boats of Royal Arctic Line connect Kulusuk and Tasiilaq, providing an ''ad hoc'' alternative for the helicopter flights of Air Greenland. In the winter, the inhabitants of the village use snowmobiles and traditional dogsleds as additional means of transport−families arriving at the airport are ferried to the settlement on both. Dogsleds are then left briefly untended, albeit accidental escapes amongst the dogs are rendered impossible through overturning the sled, and binding of the front paws of the dog pack leaders.

Climate

As an outlying island in the small

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

of islands in the Ammassalik region, Kulusuk Island is the most exposed to the persistent northeasterly winds from the

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 a ...

. Although the average winter temperatures are higher than in the more northerly settlements on the west coast of Greenland−often in single digits below zero−the ferocity of winds brings the effective temperatures down by more than an order of magnitude. During a quarter or more January days the island experiences wind speeds between 8 and 10 on the

Beaufort scale The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale. History The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort ...

, qualifying as fresh gales, strong gales, or storms. Wind speeds exceeding 100 km/h occur throughout the year, often causing flight cancellations at the Kulusuk Airport. Neighboring Tasiilaq−where the main local weather station is located−holds the settlement windspeed record for Greenland: on 7 February 1970 the speed peaked at or Kulusuk-rime-ice

Pack ice Drift ice, also called brash ice, is sea ice that is not attached to the shoreline or any other fixed object (shoals, grounded icebergs, etc.).Leppäranta, M. 2011. The Drift of Sea Ice. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. Unlike fast ice, which is "faste ...

and small

iceberg An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...

s pushed forth by the East Greenland Current ram against the northeastern coast, blocking the Ikaasaartik Sound and facilitating the freeze of the wider Torsuut Tunoq waterway. Northern Lights, Kulusuk

Conversely, when the Greenland High pressure area from the

Greenland ice sheet The Greenland ice sheet ( da, Grønlands indlandsis, kl, Sermersuaq) is a vast body of ice covering , roughly near 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is sometimes referred to as an ice cap, or under the term ''inland ice'', or its Danish equi ...

( kl, Sermersuaq) moves towards the area in winter, Kulusuk can be as wind-free and sunny as the inner parts of the

Uummannaq Fjord 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 nor ...

region known as the sunniest spot in Greenland. Kulusuk experiences one of the windiest winters, with rougher weather than the rest of Greenland. A particular feature of the local climate is the instantly

freezing rain Freezing rain is rain maintained at temperatures below freezing by the ambient air mass that causes freezing on contact with surfaces. Unlike a mixture of rain and snow or ice pellets, freezing rain is made entirely of liquid droplets. The rain ...

, covering the northeast-facing surfaces with layers of

rime Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in ling ...

ice. There is little snow in winter, with the island remaining icebound for several months, the ice forms varying from solid firn, through glazed surfaces, to rime ice. Even though Kulusuk lies approximately south of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at ...

, the celestial phenomenon of

Aurora borealis An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

can still be observed in the village.

References

External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Greenland Sermersooq