Aasiaat
Encyclopedia
Aasiaat is a town in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in western Greenland
. Located in the heart of Aasiaat Archipelago at the southern end of Disko Bay
. With a population of 3,005 as of 2010, it is Greenland's fifth-largest town.
s. Like in the rest of Greenland, spiders are rarely seen in the town in modern times.
Aasiaat is sometimes referred to as the Town of the Whales, since marine mammal
s such as whale
s and seals
are a common sight.
projects in the region have suggested human habitation in the region that includes Aasiaat as far back as the 5th millennium BC
. The earliest modern settlers dated to around 1200; these were probably subsistence hunters
. These inhabitants hunted harp seal
s and capelin
(amassaat) near Sydøst Bay in the spring. In the summer, they moved to Nassuttooq for reindeer
and halibut
. During autumn, the people of Disko Bay returned home to hunt small harp seals. In the winter, the bay
froze over, and they hunted narwhal
s and Beluga whales. These early people designed and built their own kayak
s and umiak
s when the water freed up; in the winter, they used dogsleds.
, a Norwegian
mission
ary. Named Egedesminde Colony after him, it was located north of Nordre Strømfjord, and was 125 km south of Aasiaat's current location. The town was moved to its current site in 1763. Most villagers were whalers
, and the smallpox
germs they carried to the region was harmful to the native population, especially in the 1770s. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the population had stabilized and was rising slowly. It grew from 390 in 1805 to 1,269 in 1901.
allowed American
relief airplanes bound for the British Isles
to use Greenlandic, Iceland
ic, and Scottish
airspace
. A result of World War II
was the fact that Denmark
, under the control of Nazi Germany
, could not freely send supplies to Greenland; this task fell to the United States and Canada
. Supplies were stored near Aasiaat, and were then transferred to other towns of the region, such as Uummannaq
and Sisimiut
.
was constructed in 1942 by the Americans. Cod
, an economically popular fish since the 1930s, were caught and sent to a new factory to be salted
and packed. Other businesses sprang up, accommodating to the resources and climate of the region. This boom reached its peak in the 1950s, when a power plant and telecommunications station were installed.
In 1998, a new landing strip
was opened to the public (previously a heliport
was the only aerial facility); it is near a shrimp
processing factory. Today, almost 4,800 people live in Aasiaat and its neighboring settlement, Kangaatsiaq
.
Another abandoned village is Vester Ejland on the namesake island, the westernmost of the archipelago, 29 km (18 mi) west-south-west of Aasiaat.
(Piarersarfik) , and a school for the mentally disabled
(Ado Lyngep Atuarfia).
of shrimp and crab
s, shipbuilding
, and tourism
are the primary economic activities of the region. The archipelago area offers many services for tourists, including kayaking
, cross-country skiing
, dogsledding, and whale-watching.
coastal ship. The town is also served by the Aasiaat Airport
with direct connections to Ilulissat
and other settlements in the Disko Bay
area, as well as the Air Greenland
hub in Kangerlussuaq
.
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality in western Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. Located in the heart of Aasiaat Archipelago at the southern end of Disko Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.- Geography :To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago...
. With a population of 3,005 as of 2010, it is Greenland's fifth-largest town.
Etymology
In Greenlandic, Aasiaat means "Spiders". The exact explanation for this is yet to be determined because of the lack of historical facts of the origin of the name. The most common assumption is that when the town, which was a mere settlement back then, was founded, it was abundant with spiderSpider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s. Like in the rest of Greenland, spiders are rarely seen in the town in modern times.
Aasiaat is sometimes referred to as the Town of the Whales, since marine mammal
Marine mammal
Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...
s such as whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s and seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
are a common sight.
Native peoples
ArchaeologicalArchaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
projects in the region have suggested human habitation in the region that includes Aasiaat as far back as the 5th millennium BC
5th millennium BC
The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.Urban cultures in Mesopotamia and Anatolia flourished, developing the wheel. Copper ornaments became more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry spread throughout Eurasia,...
. The earliest modern settlers dated to around 1200; these were probably subsistence hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
. These inhabitants hunted harp seal
Harp Seal
The harp seal or saddleback seal is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. It now belongs to the monotypic genus Pagophilus. Its scientific name, Pagophilus groenlandicus, means "ice-lover from Greenland", and its synonym, Phoca...
s and capelin
Capelin
The capelin or caplin, Mallotus villosus, is a small forage fish of the smelt family found in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In summer, it grazes on dense swarms of plankton at the edge of the ice shelf. Larger capelin also eat a great deal of krill and other crustaceans...
(amassaat) near Sydøst Bay in the spring. In the summer, they moved to Nassuttooq for reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
and halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
. During autumn, the people of Disko Bay returned home to hunt small harp seals. In the winter, the bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
froze over, and they hunted narwhal
Narwhal
The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their...
s and Beluga whales. These early people designed and built their own kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s and umiak
Umiak
The umiak, umialak, umiaq, umiac, oomiac or oomiak is a type of boat used by Eskimo people, both Yupik and Inuit, and was originally found in all coastal areas from Siberia to Greenland. First arising in Thule times, it has traditionally been used in summer to move people and possessions to...
s when the water freed up; in the winter, they used dogsleds.
Early history of Aasiaat
The settlement that would become Aasiaat was founded in 1759 by Niels Egede, the son of Hans EgedeHans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Dano-Norwegian interest in the island after contact...
, a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
ary. Named Egedesminde Colony after him, it was located north of Nordre Strømfjord, and was 125 km south of Aasiaat's current location. The town was moved to its current site in 1763. Most villagers were whalers
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, and the smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
germs they carried to the region was harmful to the native population, especially in the 1770s. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the population had stabilized and was rising slowly. It grew from 390 in 1805 to 1,269 in 1901.
Aasiaat in World War II
On May 3, 1940, a treaty signed in GodhavnQeqertarsuaq
Qeqertarsuaq is a port and a town in Qaasuitsup municipality, located on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq Island, an island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, it is home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen...
allowed American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
relief airplanes bound for the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
to use Greenlandic, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic, and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
. A result of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was the fact that Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, under the control of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, could not freely send supplies to Greenland; this task fell to the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Supplies were stored near Aasiaat, and were then transferred to other towns of the region, such as Uummannaq
Uummannaq
Uummannaq is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. With 1,299 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the eleventh-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal...
and Sisimiut
Sisimiut
Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately north of Nuuk. It is the administrative center of the Qeqqata Municipality and the second-largest town in Greenland, with a population of 5,460 people as of 2010. The site of the present-day town...
.
Post-War
Aasiaat has grown much since the war. A weather stationWeather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
was constructed in 1942 by the Americans. Cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, an economically popular fish since the 1930s, were caught and sent to a new factory to be salted
Salting
Salting may refer to:-People:*George Salting , Australian-born English art collector, who left the Salting Bequest, which included the**Salting Madonna , National Gallery, London-Other:...
and packed. Other businesses sprang up, accommodating to the resources and climate of the region. This boom reached its peak in the 1950s, when a power plant and telecommunications station were installed.
In 1998, a new landing strip
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
was opened to the public (previously a heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
was the only aerial facility); it is near a shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
processing factory. Today, almost 4,800 people live in Aasiaat and its neighboring settlement, Kangaatsiaq
Kangaatsiaq
Kangaatsiaq is a town located at the southern end of the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. The town received town status as recently as 1986, though as a settlement it has existed much longer. It has 586 inhabitants as of 2010...
.
Geography
The largest island of the Aasiaat Archipelago is Saqqarliup Nunaa, which is uninhabited, but has buildings to accommodate tourists. On the western tip of the island is the abandoned village of Manermiut. As of 2010 the total population of the archipelago is spread among three settlements:- The town of Aasiaat (3.003 inhabitants), is located on the namesake island just northwest of Saqqarliup Nunaa.
- The village of AkunnaaqAkunnaaqAkunnaaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. Its population is 101 as of 2010. Akunnaaq is located east of Aasiaat on the Akunnaap Nunnaa island...
(101 inhabitants) is located on the namesake island just northeast of Saqqarliup Nunaa, 23 km (14.3 mi) east-north-east of Aasiaat. - The village of KitsissuarsuitKitsissuarsuitKitsissuarsuit is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in western Greenland. The settlement was founded in 1830, although until 1817 the island was used as a whaling station...
(79 inhabitants) is located on the small namesake island (DanishDanish languageDanish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
Hunde Ejland, for the village and the island), 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Aasiaat.
Another abandoned village is Vester Ejland on the namesake island, the westernmost of the archipelago, 29 km (18 mi) west-south-west of Aasiaat.
Population
With 3,005 inhabitants as of 2010, Aasiaat is the second-largest town in the Qaasuitsup municipality. The population has fluctuated over the last two decades, decreasing over 8 percent relative to the 1990 levels, and by nearly 7 percent relative to the 2000 levels.Education
Aasiaat has four schools: a regular school (Gammeqarfik), a highschool (GU-Aasiaat), a vocational schoolVocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
(Piarersarfik) , and a school for the mentally disabled
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
(Ado Lyngep Atuarfia).
Economy
FishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
of shrimp and crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
, and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
are the primary economic activities of the region. The archipelago area offers many services for tourists, including kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
, dogsledding, and whale-watching.
Transport
Aasiaat is a port of call for the Arctic Umiaq LineArctic Umiaq Line
Arctic Umiaq Line A/S or Arctic Umiaq is a passenger and freight line in Greenland. Its name derives from the Greenlandic word for a traditional Inuit boat, the umiaq. The sea connection provided by Arctic Umiaq is a lifeline for the entire western and southwestern Greenland...
coastal ship. The town is also served by the Aasiaat Airport
Aasiaat Airport
Aasiaat Airport is an airport located northeast of Aasiaat, a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It can serve STOL aircraft, although there is no deicing equipment at the airport, which is costly and problematic in Greenlandic winter....
with direct connections to Ilulissat
Ilulissat
Ilulissat is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010, it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut....
and other settlements in the Disko Bay
Disko Bay
Disko Bay is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.- Geography :To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago...
area, as well as the Air Greenland
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
hub in Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality, located at the head of a fjord of the same name. It is Greenland's main air transport hub, being the site of Greenland's largest commercial airport....
.