Uummannaq

Last updated
Uummannaq
Ûmañak, Ũmánaĸ
Uummannaq.jpg
Uummannaq
Greenland edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Uummannaq
Location within Greenland
Coordinates: 70°40′29″N52°07′35″W / 70.67472°N 52.12639°W / 70.67472; -52.12639
StateFlag of Denmark (state).svg  Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country Flag of Greenland.svg  Greenland
Municipality Avannaata
Founded1763
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,407 [1]
Time zone UTC-03
Postal code
3961

Uummannaq [2] is a town in the Avannaata municipality, in central-western Greenland. With 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, [1] it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Founded in 1763 [3] as Omenak, [4] the town is a hunting and fishing base, with a canning factory and a marble quarry. [5] In 1932, the Universal Greenland-Filmexpedition with director Arnold Fanck released the film S.O.S. Eisberg near Uummannaq. [6]

Contents

Geography

Uummannaq (far left) dwarfed by Uummannaq mountain Uummannaq distance BIG.jpg
Uummannaq (far left) dwarfed by Uummannaq mountain

Uummannaq is located 590 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle on Uummannaq Island located in the south-central arm of the Uummannaq Fjord. Uummannaq is also the general name given to the series of inlets north of the promontory at Niaqornat on the Nuussuaq Peninsula.

Uummannaq Mountain

The island is also home to Uummannaq Mountain, rising very sharply to the height of 1170m. Climbing it requires technical skills.

Transport

Air Greenland operates helicopter services to Qaarsut Airport from Uummannaq Heliport. The neighbouring villages in the Uummannaq area are served by district cargo helicopters. In summer months, Royal Arctic Line operates its 'bygdeservice' with sailings by small ships to its neighbouring villages, including a service to Qaarsut.

Climate

Uummannaq has a tundra climate with short, cold summers and long, very cold winters.


Climate data for Uummannaq
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)−8
(17)		−12
(10)		−11
(13)		−8
(18)		2
(36)		8
(47)		11
(51)		9
(49)		4
(40)		0
(32)		−3
(26)		−6
(21)		−1
(30)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)−13
(8)		−17
(1)		−17
(1)		−14
(6)		−4
(25)		2
(36)		5
(41)		5
(41)		1
(34)		−3
(26)		−7
(20)		−10
(14)		−6
(21)
Average precipitation mm (inches)23
(0.9)		10
(0.4)		10
(0.4)		13
(0.5)		10
(0.4)		7.6
(0.3)		13
(0.5)		13
(0.5)		20
(0.8)		18
(0.7)		25
(1)		25
(1)		190
(7.4)
Source: Weatherbase [7]

Culture

Football match in Uummannaq. Salliaruseq Island in the background Uummannaq-football-game.jpg
Football match in Uummannaq. Salliaruseq Island in the background

Danish and Greenlandic children are told that Santa Claus lives in Spraglebugten Bay in the west of the island. A turf hut (Santa's Castle) was built there for a Danish television programme and remains Santa's home in the popular imagination. [8] [9]

Scottish singer KT Tunstall's third album Tiger Suit features the track "Uummannaq Song", which was inspired by her trip to the town in September 2008 with Cape Farewell. [10]

Uummannaq is home to Uummannaq Music – the world's northernmost music platform on sea ice. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Notable people

Population

Uummannaq is the second-largest town in the Avannaata municipality. It had 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, [1] which was a decrease of more than 12% relative to the population in 2000. [1]

Uummannaq-population-dynamics.png
Uummannaq population growth dynamics, 1991-2010. Source: Statistics Greenland [1]

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in Greenland include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upernavik</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Upernavik is a small town in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,092 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the twelfth-largest town in Greenland. It contains the Upernavik Museum.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uummannaq Island</span> Small island in Avannaata municipality, Greenland

Uummannaq Island is a small island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Located in the south-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord, it is home to the most prominent mountain on the Arctic coast of western Greenland and to Uummannaq, the largest town north of Ilulissat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uummannaq Fjord</span> Fjord system in Greenland

Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin Bay in the northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aasiaat</span> Town in Greenland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaarsut</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Qaarsut is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula. It had 174 inhabitants in 2020.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuugaatsiaq</span> Place in Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark

Nuugaatsiaq is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality, in northwestern Greenland, located on an island off the southern coast of Sigguup Nunaa peninsula, in the Uummannaq Fjord basin. It had 84 inhabitants in 2010, but was abandoned after a tsunami struck in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaasuitsup</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qaarsut Airport</span> Airport in Avannaata, Greenland

Qaarsut Airport is an airport in Qaarsut, a settlement on the Nuussuaq Peninsula in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is a primary airport with a gravel runway, capable of serving STOL aircraft of Air Greenland in all seasons. There is a small cafeteria in the tiny arrivals/departures hall. It is connected by a 4 km (2.5 mi) gravel road to Qaarsut and is 13.5 nautical miles northwest of Uummannaq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uummannaq Heliport</span> Heliport in Greenland

Uummannaq Heliport is a heliport in Uummannaq, a town located on Uummannaq Island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. There are no facilities in the heliport.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salliaruseq Island</span>

Salliaruseq Island is an uninhabited island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. At 130 km2 (50.2 sq mi), it is one of the larger islands in the Uummannaq Fjord system, located in its central part due east of Uummannaq Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appat Island</span>

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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 approximately 71°50′N56°00′W to the southern end of Melville Bay in the north at approximately 74°50′N57°30′W.

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Maamorilik is a mining site in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Holding resources of zinc, iron, lead, and silver, the mine is 5 km (3.1 mi) long, with its entry level situated 750 m (2,460 ft) above the sea level.

Disko Line A/S is a passenger, freight and tourism ferry line in western Greenland. It was founded in 2004 as a small freight company. Disko Line is Part of Topas Explorer Group

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avannaata</span> Municipality of Greenland

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Population by Localities". Statistical Greenland.
  2. ↑ The pre-1973 spelling was Umanaq, Ũmánaq, or Umanak.
  3. ↑ Archived October 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Colton, G.W. "Northern America. British, Russian & Danish Possessions In North America." J.H. Colton & Co. (New York), 1855.
  5. ↑ Archived October 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "1932: In Greenland". Estate of Walter Riml. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-17. – About filming in Greenland. Lobbycards, photos, etc. of Walter Rimls estate
  7. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Uummanaq, Greenland". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
  8. ↑ O'Carroll, Etain (2005). Greenland and the Arctic. Lonely Planet. p. 194. ISBN   1-74059-095-3.
  9. ↑ "Uummannaq Tourist Service, North Greenland. Attractions". Greenland-guide.gl. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  10. ↑ "2008 Expedition - Cape Farewell - The cultural response to climate change". Capefarewell.com. 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  11. ↑ Archived 2012-07-16 at archive.today
  12. ↑ "Kyrgyz Culture Makes Its Way to Greenland". EurasiaNet.org. 2010-11-11. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  13. ↑ Archived November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "Кыргызстан в айсбергах Гренландии!". Neweurasia.net. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  15. ↑ "KNR". Knr.gl. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
  16. ↑ Archived October 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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