Qasigiannguit (), also known as Christianshåb, is a town located 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 ...
on the southeastern shore of
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. ...
in the
Qeqertalik
Qeqertalik (, ) is a municipality of Greenland created in 2018 from four southern regions of the former Qaasuitsup Municipality. It is the least populated municipality at a population of 6,340, despite this it is the 2nd most densely populated m ...
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
. With 1,081 inhabitants in 2020,
it is the
thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. The main industry is
shrimp
A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...
and
halibut
Halibut is the common name for three species of flatfish in the family of right-eye flounders. In some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish are also referred to as halibut.
The word is derived from ''haly'' (holy) and ...
fishing.
History
The settlement was founded as a trading post for
Jacob Severin
Jacob Sørensen Severin (27 October 1691 – 21 March 1753) was a Danish merchant who held a trade monopoly on Greenland from 1733 to 1749.
Biography
He was born in Sæby, Denmark, to Søren Nielsen ( 1655–1730) and his wife Birgitte O ...
's company in 1734
[Marquardt, Ole.]
Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy
in ''The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Empire?''. Verlag Ludwig (Kiel), 2006. and named Christianshaab in honour of
King
King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV of Denmark, Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's m ...
.
[Del, Anden.]
''Grønland som del af den bibelske fortælling – en 1700-tals studie''
" Greenland as Part of the Biblical Narrative – a Study of the 18th-Century" The name was sometimes
anglicized
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...
as Christian's Hope.
Paul Egede
Paul or Poul Hansen Egede (9 September 1708 – 6 June 1789) was a Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian theologian, missionary, and scholar who was principally concerned with the Church of Denmark, Lutheran mission among the Kalaallit people in Green ...
's former residence is Greenland's oldest surviving wooden building. It was completed on 25 July 1734 and moved to its present site in 1806 owing to the heavy wind at its original location across the bay. In 1997, a museum was officially opened in the Egede house. In the summer of 1999, an archaeological discovery provided the museum with a collection of finds from different prehistoric cultures.
Transport
Air
During the winter,
Air Greenland
Air Greenland Aktieselskab, A/S (formerly named Grønlandsfly and Greenlandair) is the flag carrier of Greenland, owned by the Naalakkersuisut, Greenlandic Government. It operates a fleet of 28 aircraft, including a single Airbus A330-800 airli ...
operates air services from the town heliport 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 ...
,
Qeqertarsuaq
Qeqertarsuaq (, historically known as Godhavn) is a port and town in Qeqertalik municipality, located on the south coast of Disko Island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, the town is now home to a campus of the University of Cop ...
on
Disko Island
Disko Island (, ) is a large island in Baffin Bay, off the west coast of Greenland. It has an area of ,[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 ...](_blank)
.
Sea
During summer and autumn, when the waters of Disko Bay are navigable, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by
Diskoline
Disko Line Aktieselskab, A/S is a passenger, freight and tourism ferry line in western Greenland. It was founded in 2004DiskolineAbout/ref> as a small freight company. Disko Line is Part of Topas Explorer Group
Complementary transport services ...
.
Diskoline timetable
The ferry links Qasigiannguit with Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Ikamiut, Akunnaaq, and Qeqertarsuaq.
Population
With 1,081 inhabitants as of 2020, Qasigiannguit is the second-largest town in the Qeqertalik municipality.
References
{{Authority control
Disko Bay
Populated places in Greenland
Populated places established in 1734
Populated places of Arctic Greenland
1734 establishments in North America
18th-century establishments in Greenland
Qeqertalik