Ilulissat
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| Ilulissat Jakobshavn |
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| — Town — | |
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| Motto: The town by the Ice-fiord | |
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  Ilulissat
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| Coordinates: Coordinates: | |
| Government [1] | |
| - Mayor | Anthon Frederiksen |
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| Area [2][3] | |
| - Total | 47,000 km² (18,146.8 sq mi) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2008)[2][4] | |
| - Total | 4,599 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (UTC-3) |
| Postal code | 3953 |
| Website: www.ilulissat.gl | |
Ilulissat (Danish: Jakobshavn from founder Jakob Severin) is the third largest settlement in Greenland after Nuuk and Sisimiut. The town has a population of 4,599, (2008)[2] and is also the seat of the municipality of Ilulissat (Ilulissat Kommuniat) which covers an area of 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi).[2] The municipality, located in the county of Kitaa, is made up of Saqqaq, Qeqertaq, Ilimanaq and Oqaatsut.[2]
The town is located about halfway up the country's west coast, and about 200 km (120 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.
In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for "the icebergs".[2] Ilulissat is Greenland's most popular tourist destination on account of its proximity to the picturesque Ilulissat Icefjord - tourism is now the town's principal industry.
The town is home to Nagdlunguaq-48 who play in the Coca Cola GM, Greenlands top football league. Nagdlunguaq-48, who play all their league games in Nuuk, have won the championship ten times.
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[edit] Transportation
Air Alpha Greenland is based in Odense, Denmark but uses Ilulissat Airport as a hub. Air Greenland, affiliated with the SAS Group, operates air services to Ilulissat. Albatros Travel[5] also offers air services and cruises to Ilulissat. Air Iceland will begin operating air services between Ilulissat and Iceland in July 2009.
[edit] Notable residents
Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen (1879-1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist. He has been called the "father of Eskimology"[6] and was the first to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled was born in Ilulissat.[7] He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.[8]
Jørgen Brønlund (see also Jørgen Brønlund) (1877-1907), was also a polar explorer born in Ilulissat, He grew up with Rasmussen and accompanied him, along with Harald Moltke and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, on the The Danish Literary Expedition (1902-1904) to examine Inuit culture. In 1906 he joined Mylius-Erichsen and Peter Høegh Hagen on the Danmark-ekspeditionen to map what is today Avannaa. All three were to die while on the expdition, Hagen on 10 November, Mylius-Erichsen 25 November and Brønlund in December. Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in Peary Land is named after him.[9]
Jens Rosing (1925-2008), a Greenlandic artist notable for designing the coat of arms of Greenland, many Greenlandic postage stamps, as well as illustrated children's books and water colours was born in Ilulissat.
[edit] Arctic Ocean Conference
- See also: Territorial claims in the Arctic and Arctic shrinkage
From 27 - 29 May 2008, the Arctic Ocean Conference, hosted by Per Stig Møller, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hans Enoksen, Greenlandic Prime Minister,[10] was held in Ilulissat. The joint meeting between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States was held to discuss key issues relating to the Arctic Ocean and climate change.[11]
The Ilulissat Declaration arose from the conference and one of its stated aims was the blockage of any "new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean". An additional pledge for the "the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims," was expected as the conference invitation originated in 2007 as a consequence of several jurisdictional disputes, including Hans Island and Arktika 2007.[12]
[edit] Ilulissat Icefjord
| Ilulissat Icefjord* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Denmark |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii |
| Reference | 1149 |
| Region** | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2004 (28th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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The Ilulissat Icefjord (Ilulissat Kangerlua) runs west 40 km (25 mi) from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay close to Ilulissat town. At its eastern end is the Jakobshavn Isbræ glacier, the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of 20–35 m (66–110 ft) per day, resulting in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calved off and passing out of the fjord every year. Icebergs breaking from the glacier are often so large (up to a kilometer (3,300 ft) in height) that they are too tall to float down the fjord and lie stuck on the bottom of its shallower areas, sometimes for years, until they are broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord. On breaking up the icebergs emerge into the open sea and initially travel north with ocean currents before turning south and running into the Atlantic Ocean. Larger icebergs typically do not melt until they reach 40-45 degrees north (south of the United Kingdom and level with New York City).
The Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
[edit] References
- ^ Politiske Udvalg Ilulissat Kommune
- ^ a b c d e f Ilulissat
- ^ Area refers to the municipality.
- ^ Population is for the town.
- ^ Go2Greenland - A cooperation between Topas Adventure Travel, Albatros Travel and Greenland Travel
- ^ Jean Malaurie, 1982.
- ^ Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen, biography by Sam Alley. Minnesota State University.
- ^ Elizabeth Cruwys, 2003.
- ^ Famous sons
- ^ Arctic Council (2008-05-26). "Conference on the Arctic Ocean". arctic-council.org. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
- ^ Embassy (2008-05-28). "Denmark Hosts the Five Nations: Arctic Ocean Conference in Greenland", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved on 6 June 2008.
- ^ Boswell, Randy (2008-05-28). "Conference could mark start of Arctic power struggle", canada.com. Retrieved on 6 June 2008.
- Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, Lonely Planet, ISBN 0-86442-686-0
[edit] External links
- Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (English)
- Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (Greenlandic)
- Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (Danish)
- Ilulissat tourist information site
- NASA study: Fastest Glacier in Greenland Doubles Speed
- Ilulissat Icefjord. Book edited by Ole Bennike, Naja Mikkelsen, Henrik Klinge Pedersen and Anker Weidick, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 28th September, 2004, ISBN 87-7871-136-3
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