Ittoqqortoormiit
Encyclopedia
Ittoqqortoormiit is a settlement in the Sermersooq
municipality in eastern Greenland
. Its population is 469 as of 2010.
The Danish name Scoresbysund derives from the name of the Arctic explorer and whaler William Scoresby
, who was the first to map the area in 1822. The Greenlandic name Ittoqqortoormiit means "Big House Dwellers" in the Eastern Greenlandic dialect. The region is known for its wildlife which includes polar bear
s, muskoxen
, and seals.
, near the mouth of the northern shore of the Kangertittivaq
fjord, which empties into the Greenland Sea
.
Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in 1925 by Ejnar Mikkelsen
and some 80 Inuit
settlers (70 persons from Tasiilaq
and four families from western Greenland). They were brought on the ship Gustav Holm and settled 400 km south of the last known Inuit settlement in northeastern Greenland (Eskimonæs at Dødemandsbugten on the south coast of Clavering Ø, 27 km southwest of later Daneborg, 1823).
The settlement was encouraged by the colonial power Denmark
which at the time had a growing interest in Northeast Greenland. At the same time, the colonization was intended to improve declining living conditions in Tasiilaq, from where the settlers were more or less voluntarily transferred. The settlers soon prospered on the good hunting conditions of the new area, which was rich in seals
, walrus
es, narwhal
s, polar bear
s and arctic fox
es.
Before that, however, the area itself had been home to a dense population of Inuit in the past, as testified by ruins and other archeological remains.
Ittoqqortoormiit is one of the most remote towns in Greenland. It is served by Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport
, with Air Greenland
helicopters shuttling passengers between the settlement and Nerlerit Inaat Airport
, the latter also reachable by boat for a few months a year. There are two Air Iceland
weekly departures from Reykjavík
, synchronized with flights to Kulusuk
in southeastern Greenland. Air Greenland provides indirect air communication with the rest of the country from Kulusuk.
Local hunters have for generations made a living from whale and polar bear
hunting, and it remains, up to the present, a significant cultural-economical factor in the area. Flesh and by-products play a direct part in the economy of the hunting families. Income is gained by trading these products, but these options are seasonal and variable.
Ittoqqortoormiit lies near large populations of shrimp
and Greenland halibut
, but the presence of sea ice
prevents the exploitation of these resources year-round, and as a result fishing has never been extensively developed in the municipality.
Tourism, on the other hand, is growing in importance. The buildings at the abandoned Uunarteq
settlement are used by the local inhabitants as cottages during summer.
Sermersooq
Sermersooq is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. It is home to Nuuk , the capital of Greenland, and is the most populous municipality in the country, with 21,232 inhabitants as of January 2010...
municipality in eastern 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...
. Its population is 469 as of 2010.
The Danish name Scoresbysund derives from the name of the Arctic explorer and whaler William Scoresby
William Scoresby
William Scoresby , was an English Arctic explorer, scientist and clergyman.-Early years:Scoresby was born in the village of Cropton near Pickering 26 miles south of Whitby in Yorkshire. His father, William Scoresby , made a fortune in the Arctic whale fishery...
, who was the first to map the area in 1822. The Greenlandic name Ittoqqortoormiit means "Big House Dwellers" in the Eastern Greenlandic dialect. The region is known for its wildlife which includes polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s, muskoxen
Musk Ox
The muskox is an Arctic mammal of the family Bovidae, noted for its thick coat and for the strong odor emitted by males, from which its name derives. This musky odor is used to attract females during mating season...
, and seals.
Geography
Ittoqqortoormiit is located on Liverpool LandLiverpool Land
Liverpool Land is a peninsula in eastern Greenland.- Geography :The peninsula is bounded by Scoresby Sund in the south, Carlsberg Fjord in the northwest, Kangerterajiva in the southwest, the Greenland Sea in the east, and Jameson Land in the west...
, near the mouth of the northern shore of the Kangertittivaq
Scoresby Sund
Scoresby Sund is an inlet system of the Greenland Sea on the eastern coast of Greenland. It has a tree-like structure, with a main body approximately long that branches into a system of fjords covering an area of about . The longest of these extends 340–350 km in from the coastline...
fjord, which empties into the Greenland Sea
Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes as part of the...
.
History
Ejnar Mikkelsen
Ejnar Mikkelsen , was a Danish polar explorer and author, born in Jutland. He served in the Georg Carl Amdrup expedition to Christian IX Land, East Greenland , and in the Baldwin-Ziegler expedition to Franz Joseph Land .With Ernest de Koven Leffingwell he organized the Anglo-American polar...
and some 80 Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
settlers (70 persons from Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq
Tasiilaq is a town in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland. With 1,930 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the most populous community on the eastern coast, and the seventh-largest town in Greenland...
and four families from western Greenland). They were brought on the ship Gustav Holm and settled 400 km south of the last known Inuit settlement in northeastern Greenland (Eskimonæs at Dødemandsbugten on the south coast of Clavering Ø, 27 km southwest of later Daneborg, 1823).
The settlement was encouraged by the colonial power 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...
which at the time had a growing interest in Northeast Greenland. At the same time, the colonization was intended to improve declining living conditions in Tasiilaq, from where the settlers were more or less voluntarily transferred. The settlers soon prospered on the good hunting conditions of the new area, which was rich in 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...
, walrus
Walrus
The walrus is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and sub-Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the Odobenidae family and Odobenus genus. It is subdivided into three subspecies: the Atlantic...
es, 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, polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s and arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
es.
Before that, however, the area itself had been home to a dense population of Inuit in the past, as testified by ruins and other archeological remains.
Transport
Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport
Ittoqqortoormiit Heliport is a heliport in Ittoqqortoormiit, a village in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland.-Relocation:The Nerlerit Inaat Airport may be relocated to a new site on Liverpool Land closer to Ittoqqortoormiit, between the settlement and Unarteq cape to the south, thus...
, with 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...
helicopters shuttling passengers between the settlement and Nerlerit Inaat Airport
Nerlerit Inaat Airport
Nerlerit Inaat Airport is an airport in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland. It is located on Jameson Land and serves the town of Ittoqqortoormiit, approximately to the south-east. The airport can serve STOL aircraft. A Bell 222 helicopter of Air Greenland is permanently housed at...
, the latter also reachable by boat for a few months a year. There are two Air Iceland
Air Iceland
Air Iceland is a regional airline with its head office on the property of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík, Iceland. It operates scheduled services to domestic destinations and to Greenland. Its main bases are Reykjavík Airport and Akureyri Airport...
weekly departures from Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, synchronized with flights to Kulusuk
Kulusuk
Kulusuk is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southeastern Greenland, located on an island of the same name. The settlement population of 286 is quite uncommon for an Inuit settlement in Greenland with many Danes choosing to live there, due to the airport...
in southeastern Greenland. Air Greenland provides indirect air communication with the rest of the country from Kulusuk.
Economy
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
hunting, and it remains, up to the present, a significant cultural-economical factor in the area. Flesh and by-products play a direct part in the economy of the hunting families. Income is gained by trading these products, but these options are seasonal and variable.
Ittoqqortoormiit lies near large populations of 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...
and Greenland halibut
Greenland halibut
The Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot belongs to the Pleuronectidae family , and is the only species of the genus Reinhardtius. It is a deepwater fish distributed from 200 to 1600 m but has been caught at depths more than...
, but the presence of sea ice
Sea ice
Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....
prevents the exploitation of these resources year-round, and as a result fishing has never been extensively developed in the municipality.
Tourism, on the other hand, is growing in importance. The buildings at the abandoned Uunarteq
Uunarteq
Uunarteq is an abandoned settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland, located south of Ittoqqortoormiit.- History :The settlement was founded by fishermen and their families in 1926. In 1947 a telegraph and weather station were erected; the station itself employed roughly 20...
settlement are used by the local inhabitants as cottages during summer.