Qassimiut (old spellings: ''Qagssimiut'' and ''Kagsimiut'') is a settlement in the
Kujalleq
Kujalleq ( Greenlandic: , da, Den Syden, lit=The South) is a municipality on the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq (formerly called Julianehåb).
Creation
...
municipality in southern
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 is ...
. The settlement was founded in 1835 as a trading station. With a population of 20 in 2020, it is the smallest organized, permanent settlement in Greenland.
Until January 2009, the settlement—along
Eqalugaarsuit and
Saarloq, as well as 13 sheep farms—belonged to Qaqortoq municipality. On January 1, 2009, the settlement became part of Kujalleq municipality, when the
Narsaq
Narsaq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name ''Narsaq'' is Kalaallisut for "Plain", referring to the shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord where the town is located.
History
People have lived in the area for thousands o ...
,
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in southern Greenland and the ...
, and
Nanortalik
Nanortalik (), formerly Nennortalik, is a town in Nanortalik Island, Kujalleq municipality, southern Greenland. With 1,185 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the eleventh-largest town in the country. The name ''Nanortalik'' means "Place of Polar Bea ...
municipalities ceased to exist. The settlements are presently governed by a joint settlement council,
although Qassimiut has no direct representation in the council.
Healthcare and infrastructure
The healthcare services for the settlement are provided by the Napparsimavik Hospital in
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in southern Greenland and the ...
. The hospital boat regularly visits the settlement, and an emergency helicopter is available if needed.
KNI subsidiary
Pilersuisoq operates a local, all-purpose general store in the settlement.
Settlement school
The settlement school--''Atuarfik Qassimiut'',
Greenlandic for "school of Qassimiut" is part of the Qaqortoq education district. The two-classroom school building was moved to Qassimiut in 1965. The most recent refurbishing and renovation of the school was in the late 1980s.
Transport and communications
The settlement has its own
heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...
,
Qassimiut Heliport, which is operated by
Mittarfeqarfiit. All other transportation is by boat only. The settlement has gravel roads, but there are no cars.
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...
and phone communications are provided by
Greenland Home Rule
Naalakkersuisut ( en, Cabinet of Greenland, da, Grønlands Regering), is the chief executive body and the government of Greenland since the island became self-governing in 1979. An "autonomous territory" ( da, land) of the Kingdom of Denmark, tak ...
.
Famous people from Qassimiut
*
Jonathan Motzfeldt – politician (
S)
Population
Most towns and settlements in southern Greenland exhibit negative growth patterns over the last two decades, with many settlements rapidly depopulating. Qassimiut has been rapidly losing population over the last two decades. Its population has decreased by more than two thirds relative to the 1990 levels.
[Statistics Greenland](_blank)
References
{{Settlements in Greenland
Populated places in Greenland