Qullikorsuit Island (old spelling: ''Qutdlikorssuit'') is an uninhabited

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

Avannaata Avannaata (, ) is a municipality of Greenland created on 1 January 2018 from the bulk of the former Qaasuitsup municipality. It encompasses an area of 522,700 km2 and has 10,726 inhabitants. Geography In the south, Avannaata is flanked ...

municipality in northwestern

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 ...

. It is located in the northern part of

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 ...

History

Qullikorsuit Island was inhabited between 1916, when the

Appaalissiorfik Appaalissiorfik (old spelling: ''Agpâligsiorfik'') is a former settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It was located in the north-central part of Upernavik Archipelago, on the southwestern cape of Qullikorsuit Island, an ...

settlement was founded, and 1923, when it was abandoned. Appaalissiorfik was perched on the southwestern cape of the island, on the shores of the

Appaalissiorfiup Ikerasaa Appaalissiorfiup Ikerasaa (old spelling: ''Agpâligsiorfiup Ikerasâ'') is a strait in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Geography The strait is located at the northern end of Tasiusaq Bay. It separates Qullikorsuit Island in t ...

strait.''Upernavik Avannarleq'', Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992

Geography

Location within the archipelago

Qullikorsuit Island is located in the north-central part of

, in the group between Kangerlussuaq Icefjord in the south, and

Nuussuaq Peninsula Nuussuaq Peninsula (, old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq'') is a large () 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, an inlet ...

in the north. The island defines the southern boundary of the

Sugar Loaf Bay Sugar Loaf Bay is a bay in the Upernavik Archipelago in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is an indentation of northeastern Baffin Bay. The name of the bay derives from the name of an island of the same name in the bay, Su ...

. The island is the largest within the group, and is separated from the mainland of Greenland and smaller islands by narrow straits: from the unnamed

nunataq A nunatak (from Inuit ) is the summit or ridge of a mountain that protrudes from an ice field or glacier that otherwise covers most of the mountain or ridge. They often form natural pyramidal peaks. Isolated nunataks are also called glacial isla ...

on the mainland in the east by the narrow ''Ikerasassuaq''

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

, from the smaller, U-shaped

Paornivik Island Paornivik Island is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Geography The horseshoe-shaped Paornivik Island is located in Tasiusaq Bay, in the north-central part of Upernavik Archipelago. It is sandwiched bet ...

in the southeast by ''Paarniviup Tunua'' strait, from

Mernoq Island Mernoq Island is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. History With brief intervals of no permanent settlement, Mernoq Island was inhabited between 1891, when the Kuuk settlement was founded, and 1972, whe ...

in the south by the ''Mernup Tunua'' strait, and from

Apparsuit Island Apparsuit Island (old spelling: ''Agparssuit'') is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Cape Shackleton, the western promontory of the island, marks the northernmost extent of Tasiusaq Bay, an indentation of ...

by the Appaalissiorfiup Ikerasaa strait. The latter is an important waterway trail followed by the boats between

Upernavik Kanunarinaqiniiaaq (known as Upernavik) is a small town in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,064 inhabitants as of 2024, it is the twelfth-largest town in Greenland. It c ...

, the only town in the region, and smaller settlements in the north:

Nuussuaq Nuussuaq (old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq''), formerly Kraulshavn, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the only mainland settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located near the western tip of the Nuussuaq Penin ...

and

Kullorsuaq Kullorsuaq is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the northernmost settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located on Kullorsuaq Island at the southern end of Melville Bay, itself part of the larger Baff ...

. The neighboring

Kittorsaq Island Kittorsaq Island (old spelling: ''Kigtorsaq'') is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago. Geography Kittorsaq Island is located in the north-centra ...

to the northwest is sometimes used as a stopover on the marine route from

to Tasiusaq, and further south to

Topography

The island is mountainous throughout. At , the ''Sullaussartooq'' mountain is the highest point on the island, with the top of the ridge permanently glaciated.

Coastline

The coastline of the island is generally undeveloped, despite two distinct peninsulas and shallow, unnamed bays in the south.

Promontories

References

{{Upernavik Archipelago Uninhabited islands of Greenland Sugar Loaf Bay Tasiusaq Bay Islands of the Upernavik Archipelago