Narsarmijit is a settlement in the Kujalleq

Kujalleq

Kujalleq is a new municipality in the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. With 7,589 inhabitants as of January 2010, it is the least-populated municipality in Greenland. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq...

 municipality in southern 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 97 as of 2010. Presently the settlement is experiencing a loss of population, a slow but steady regression since the late 1950s.

Geography

Narsarmijit is the southernmost settlement in the country, located approximately 50 km north of Cape Farewell

Cape Farewell, Greenland

Cape Farewell , is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Greenland. Located at it is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as Stockholm and the Scottish Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated...

, the southern cape of Greenland.

History

The present-day village was founded in 1824 by Moravian missionaries. The settlement was named Frederiksdal after Frederick VI of Denmark

Frederick VI of Denmark

Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...

.

Until December 31, 2008, the settlement belonged to the Nanortalik municipality. Since January 1, 2009, the settlement has been part of the Kujalleq municipality, when the former municipalities of Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With a population of 3,230 as of 2011, it is the most populous town in southern Greenland, and the fourth-largest town in the country. The name is western Greenlandic and means "[the] white [one]".- History :The area around...

, Narsaq

Narsaq

Narsaq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name Narsaq is Greenlandic for "plain", referring to the beautiful plain on the shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord where the town is located.- History :...

, and Nanortalik

Nanortalik

Nanortalik is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With 1,448 inhabitants in 2010, it is the tenth-largest town in the country. The name Nanortalik means "place of polar bears" or "place where the polar bears go" .- History :...

 ceased to exist as administrative entities.

Sheep farming

In 1906 pastor Jens Chemnitz founded the first modern day sheep farm in Narsarmijit. This marked the beginning of the present day sheep farming industry. There are still farms in the wider Narsarmijit area.

Transport

The village is served by the Narsarmijit Heliport. 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...

 district helicopters link the settlement with Nanortalik

Nanortalik

Nanortalik is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With 1,448 inhabitants in 2010, it is the tenth-largest town in the country. The name Nanortalik means "place of polar bears" or "place where the polar bears go" .- History :...

, and further to Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With a population of 3,230 as of 2011, it is the most populous town in southern Greenland, and the fourth-largest town in the country. The name is western Greenlandic and means "[the] white [one]".- History :The area around...

 and Narsarsuaq

Narsarsuaq

Narsarsuaq is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 158 inhabitants in 2010. There is a thriving tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to glaciers, and an airfield museum...

.

Population

Most towns and settlements in southern Greenland exhibit negative growth patterns over the last two decades, with many settlements rapidly depopulating. The population of Narsarmijit has decreased nearly a half relative to the 1990 levels, by nearly a quarter relative to the 2000 levels.