Upernavik Archipelago
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Upernavik Archipelago is a vast coastal
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
in the
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 ...
, off the shores of northeastern
Baffin Bay Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; ; ; ), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a s ...
. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of
Sigguup Nunaa Nunavik Peninsula (, ) is a large peninsula in northwestern Greenland. It separates two cultural and geographical regions of northwestern Greenland: Uummannaq Fjord region in the southeast, and Upernavik Archipelago in the north. Geography The ...
peninsula in the south at approximately Nunavik, Saga Map, 1:250.000, Tage Schjøtt, 1992 to the southern end of
Melville Bay Melville Bay (; ), is a large bay off the coast of northwestern Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, ''Qimusseriarsuaq'', means "the great dog sledding pla ...
() in the north at approximately .Upernavik Avannarleq, Saga Map, 1:250.000, Tage Schjøtt, 1992


History

The archipelago belongs to the earliest-settled areas of Greenland, the first migrants arriving approximately 2,000
BCE Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the o ...
.greenland-guide.gl
/ref> All southbound migrations of the
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 ...
passed through the area, leaving behind a trail of archeological sites. The early
Saqqaq culture The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in southern Greenland. It was named after the settlement of Saqqaq, the site of many archaeological finds. The Saqqaq were the longest-residing residents of Greenland in all of history. Timeframe T ...
diminished in importance around 1,000 BCE, followed by the migrants of
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 ...
, who spread alongside the coast of Baffin Bay, being in turn displaced by the
Thule people The Thule ( , ) or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by 1000 AD and expanded eastward across northern Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people of the ...
in the 13th and 14th centuries. The area has been continuously inhabited since then. Today the Upernavik Archipelago is sparsely populated, despite the relatively high number of settlements scattered across its entire length. All but one of these settlements are located on the islands.Upernavik, Saga Map, 1:250.000, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
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 ...
town is the largest settlement with 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, formally founded in 1772 by the
Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an 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. History Early history Denmark ...
during the
colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...
era.


Geography

The coastline of Greenland is deeply indented in this region, markedly different from that of the Nuussuaq Basin of
Uummannaq Fjord Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Scoresby Sund, Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin ...
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 northern part of the archipelago, the coastal mountains disappear altogether, with 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 ...
() reaching the sea level across nearly the entire length of the perennially frozen Melville Bay.


Islands

Nutaarmiut Island Nutaarmiut Island (old spelling: ''Nutârmiut'') is an uninhabitedManiitsoq Maniitsoq () or Sukkertoppen is a town on Maniitsoq Island, western Greenland located in the Qeqqata municipality. With 2,534 inhabitants , it is the sixth-largest town in Greenland. History Archaeological finds indicate that the area ha ...
and
Qeqertaq Qeqertaq (pronounced: (according to the old spelling ''K'eĸertaĸ'')) is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located on an island off the southern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula in an inlet of Sullorsuaq Strait. F ...
. These are some of the islands of the group: Aappilattoq (Upernavik Icefjord) Aappilattoq (Tasiusaq Bay) Akia Akuliaruseq Amarortalik Amitsorsuaq Anarusuk Apparsuit Atilissuaq Aukarnersuaq Ateqanngitsorsuaq Horse Head Ikerasakassak Ikermoissuaq
Ikermiut Ikermiut is a former settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It was located on Ikermiut Island in the center of Inussulik Bay, a bay in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago.''Upernavik Avannarleq'', Saga Map, Tage ...
Illunnguit
Innaarsuit Innaarsuit (old spelling: ''Ivnârssuit'') is an island settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on an island of the same name. the settlement had 180 inhabitants in 2020. Upernavik Archipelago Innaarsuit is ...
Inussullissuaq Iperaq Itissaalik Kangaarsuk Karrat Kiatassuaq Kiataussaq Kingittorsuaq
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 ...
Maniitsoq Maniitsoq () or Sukkertoppen is a town on Maniitsoq Island, western Greenland located in the Qeqqata municipality. With 2,534 inhabitants , it is the sixth-largest town in Greenland. History Archaeological finds indicate that the area ha ...
Mattaangassut Mernoq Naajaat Nako Nasaussaq Nuluuk Nunaa Nunatarsuaq
Nutaarmiut Nutaarmiut (old spelling: ''Nutârmiut'') is an island settlement in Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It had 43 inhabitants in 2020. Upernavik Archipelago Nutaarmiut is located within Upernavik Archipelago, a vast archipe ...
Nutaarmiut (Tasiusaq Bay) Nuuluk Paagussat Paornivik Puugutaa Qaarsorsuaq Qaarsorsuatsiaq Qallunaat Qaneq Qaqaarissorsuaq Qasse
Qeqertaq Qeqertaq (pronounced: (according to the old spelling ''K'eĸertaĸ'')) is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located on an island off the southern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula in an inlet of Sullorsuaq Strait. F ...
Qeqertarsuaq (Kangerlussuaq Icefjord) Qeqertarsuaq (Nasaussap Saqqaa) Qeqertarsuaq (Upernavik Icefjord)
Qullikorsuit Qullikorsuit Island (old spelling: ''Qutdlikorssuit'') is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is located in the northern part of Upernavik Archipelago. History Qullikorsuit Island was inhabited between ...
Saarlia Saattoq Saattorsuaq
Saattup Akia Saattup Akia (meaning: that which is on the other side of the flat) is a mountain of Greenland. It is located in the Upernavik Archipelago Upernavik Archipelago is a vast coastal archipelago in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenlan ...
Sanningassoq Saqqarlersuaq Singarnaq-Annertussoq Sisuarsuit
Sugar Loaf A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a ...
Taartoq Tasiusaq Timilersua Tukingassoq Tussaaq Tuttorqortooq Uigorlersuaq Uilortussoq
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 ...


Settlements

From north to south, the following are the towns and villages in the archipelago:


Panoramic views


Economy

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
is the mainstay of the area, although the more northern settlements still rely on traditional
hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...
of
fur seal Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family Otariidae. They are much more closely related to sea lions than Earless seal, true seals, and share with them external ears (Pinna (anatomy ...
s,
walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...
es, and
whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...
s to supplement the family economy. In that, the northern region is culturally linked with the far north of Greenland, the
Qaanaaq Qaanaaq (), formerly known as New Thule, is the main town in the northern part of the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. The town has a population of 646 as of 2020. The population was forcibly relocated from its former, traditiona ...
region. Outside of Upernavik town, the average level of
income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. F ...
is amongst the lowest in Greenland. Four of the settlements in the archipelago (Naajaat, Nuussuaq, Kullorsuaq, and Upernavik Kujalleq) are listed in the top 10 poorest within Greenland.


Transport


Air

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 government contract flights to nearly all villages in the Upernavik archipelago. These mostly cargo flights are not featured in the timetable of the airline, although they can be pre-booked. Departure times for these flights as specified during booking are by definition approximate, with the settlement service optimized on the fly depending on local demand for a given day. Upernavik is the only settlement with an airport.


Sea

Until 2006,
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 ...
had provided ferry services from Upernavik to
Nuuk Nuuk (; , formerly ) is the capital and most populous city of Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. It is also the seat of gove ...
, calling at
Uummannaq Uummannaq is a town on Uummannaq Island in the Avannaata municipality, in central-western Greenland. With 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Foun ...
,
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 ...
within the Avannaata and Qeqertalik municipalities. M/S ''Sarpik Ittuk''—which serviced
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. ...
,
Uummannaq Fjord Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Scoresby Sund, Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin ...
and
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 ...
—was sold in 2006 to Nova Cruising, a company from
the Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
. Since then the ferry services of AUL are available only southwards from Ilulissat, operated with the remaining ship, M/S ''Sarfaq Ittuk''.
Cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
/passenger boat ''Vestlandia'' of
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 ...
links Upernavik with Uummannaq.RAL, Vestlandia schedule
Tourism is very undeveloped, but charter boats for individual travellers and small groups are available in all settlements.


References


External links

*
1:1,000,000 scale Operational Navigation Chart, Sheet B-8Upernavik Tourism
{{Upernavik Archipelago Landforms of Baffin Bay Archipelagoes of Greenland