Amerloq Fjord is a long

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

in the

Qeqqata Qeqqata (, ) is a municipality in western Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The municipality was named after its location in the central-western part of the country. Its population is 9,378 as of January 2020. The administrative cente ...

municipality in western

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. The fjord empties into the

Davis Strait The Davis Strait (Danish language, Danish: ''Davisstrædet'') is a southern arm of the Arctic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The ...

just south of

Sisimiut Sisimiut (), also known by its Danish name Holstensborg or Holsteinsborg, is the capital and largest city of the Qeqqata municipality, the second-largest city in Greenland, and the largest Arctic city in North America.The term 'city' is loos ...

, whose former

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

name was also "Amerloq".

History

The Amerloq Fjord then known as Rammel's Fjord was the scene of the

murder of the Dano-English navigator James Hall on 12 or 22 July, 1612. The Inuit were still incensed at the Danish abduction of several people during one of Christian IV's expeditions in 1605, during which Hall served as pilot for John Cunningham.

Geography

The fjord mouth is located at approximately south of the town of Sisimiut. To the north, the fjord is bounded by the

Nasaasaaq Nasaasaaq ( asaːsɑːq̚) is a prominent mountain in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. It is located on the mainland of Greenland, immediately to the southeast of Sisimiut on the northern coast of Amerloq Fjord, a tributary of Dav ...

ridge, whose massif is spread out over in the west–east direction, constituting the terminal point of a long mountain range extending from the

Pingu ''Pingu'' is a stop motion animated children's television series originally produced in Switzerland. It was co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann. It centres on the titular anthropomorphic emperor penguin and his family, who live i ...

mountain group halfway between Davis Strait and the

Greenland ice sheet The Greenland ice sheet is an ice sheet which forms the second largest body of ice in the world. It is an average of thick and over thick at its maximum. It is almost long in a north–south direction, with a maximum width of at a latitude ...

(). The range flattens considerably towards the east in the area of Kangaamiut dike swarm north of

Kangerlussuaq Kangerlussuaq (; ; ) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipalities of Greenland, municipality located at the head of the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, fjord of the same name. It was Greenland's main air transport hub and the site of G ...

, due to pressure exerted by the icesheet for long periods in the past. The Nasaasaaq ridge connects to the other latitudinal ridges approximately east of Sisimiut, north of the fjord head located at approximately . The head of the fjord is unusual in that it connects through a very narrow waterway to the wider

Ikertooq Fjord Ikertooq Fjord (old spelling: ''Ikertôq'') is a long fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. The fjord empties into Davis Strait south of Sisimiut. Geography The upper part of the fjord, a confluence of three tributary inl ...

. From the south, the fjord is bounded by the long

Sarfannguit Island Sarfannguit Island (, ) is an island in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. Geography The island is of elongated shape, separated from the mainland of Greenland by Sarfannguit Channel, a narrow waterway at the eastern promontory occ ...

() in the center and east, and by the smaller Maniitsorsuaq Island in the west. Qeqertarmiut and Annertusoq

skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...

separate the fjord mouth from

Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay ( aŋeʁluɑʁsuŋːuɑq̚) is a bay of the Davis Strait in the Qeqqata municipality on the western coast of Greenland. It is located directly to the north of Sisimiut. Geography The bay branches off Davis Strait to ...

in the north.

Settlements

There are two settlements in the vicinity of Amerloq Fjord. At the mouth of the fjord,

town reaches to the sea in its southernmost parts. At the other end of the fjord, at the narrow waterway between the mainland and Sarfannguit Island, the small

Sarfannguit Sarfannguit (old spelling: ''Sarfannguaq / Sarfánguaq'') is a settlement in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. Its population was 96 in 2020. The settlement was founded in 1843.

settlement occupies the island promontory.

Transport

Royal Arctic Line Royal Arctic Line Aktieselskab, A/S (RAL) or Royal Arctic is a seaborne freight company in Greenland, wholly owned by the Naalakkersuisut, Government of Greenland. It was formed in 1993, and is headquartered in Nuuk. History Royal Arctic Line A ...

provides weekly ferry services from Sarfannguit to Sisimiut and

Itilleq Itilleq is a settlement in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. It is located on a small island around 1 km from the mainland, 45 km south of Sisimiut and 2 km north of the Arctic Circle on the shores of Davis St ...

, a settlement further south on the coast of Davis Strait. The ships sail through the entire length of the fjord on the way. Sisimiut is a port of call for the

Arctic Umiaq Line Arctic Umiaq Line A/S (AUL) or Arctic Umiaq is a passenger and freight shipping line in Greenland. Its name derives from the Kalaallisut word for the traditional Inuit passenger boat, the umiak, distinguished from the kayak, used for hunting. Th ...

, with connections to

Ilulissat Ilulissat, also known as Jacobshavn or Jakobshav, is the municipal seat and largest town of the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With a population of 4,670 as of 2020, it is the ...

and

Aasiaat Aasiaat (), also known as Egedesminde, is a town in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland, located on its namesake island in the heart of Aasiaat Archipelago at the southern end of Disko Bay. With a population of 2,980 as of 2021, it ...

in the

Disko Bay Disko Bay (; Christensen, N.O. & al.Elections in Greenland". ''Arctic Circular'', Vol. 4 (1951), pp. 83–85. Op. cit. "Northern News". ''Arctic'', Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar 1952), pp. 58–59.) is a large bay on the western coast of Greenland. ...

region, and to coastal towns in southwestern and southern Greenland.AUL, Timetable 2009
/ref>

References

External links

*{{commonscat inline, Amerloq Fjord Davis Strait Fjords of Greenland Sisimiut