Nuussuaq Peninsula
Encyclopedia
Nuussuaq Peninsula is a large (180x48 km) peninsula
in western Greenland
.
. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay
, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait
which connects Disko Bay with Baffin Bay. To the northeast, it is bounded by the Uummannaq Fjord
system.
The peninsula is mountainous, with the highest summit reaching 2,144 m. The spinal range splits in two to the northwest of the base of the peninsula, with the southern arm forming the coastal range, the central arm almost entirely glaciated, and continuing northwest the entire length of the peninsula. The two arms are dissected by a deep Kuussuaq Valley, partially filled in the center with Sarqap Tassersuaq, a glacial, emerald lake.
on the southwestern shore revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture later named the Saqqaq culture
that inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
municipality. The main settlements are Qaarsut
and Niaqornat
on the northeastern shore, Saqqaq
on the southwestern shore, at the foot of the Livets Top mountain (1,150 m), and Qeqertaq
on a small island just off the southern shore, at the base of the peninsula.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
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...
.
Geography
The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin BayBaffin Bay
Baffin Bay , located between Baffin Island and the southwest coast of Greenland, is a marginal sea of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is connected to the Atlantic via Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea...
. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by 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...
, an inlet of Baffin Bay. It is separated from Qeqertarsuaq Island by Sullorsuaq Strait
Sullorsuaq Strait
Sullorsuaq Strait is a strait on the western coast of Greenland.- Geography :It separates Nuussuaq Peninsula in the northeast from Qeqertarsuaq Island in the southwest. The strait waterway connects inner Disko Bay in the southeast with Baffin Bay in the northwest...
which connects Disko Bay with Baffin Bay. To the northeast, it is bounded by the Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord
Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland...
system.
The peninsula is mountainous, with the highest summit reaching 2,144 m. The spinal range splits in two to the northwest of the base of the peninsula, with the southern arm forming the coastal range, the central arm almost entirely glaciated, and continuing northwest the entire length of the peninsula. The two arms are dissected by a deep Kuussuaq Valley, partially filled in the center with Sarqap Tassersuaq, a glacial, emerald lake.
History
Archaeological excavations in QilakitsoqQilakitsoq
Qilakitsoq is an archaeological site on Nuussuaq Peninsula, on the shore of Uummannaq Fjord in northwestern Greenland. Formally a settlement, it is famous for the discovery of eight mummified bodies in 1972.- Archaeological finds :...
on the southwestern shore revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture later named the Saqqaq culture
Saqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in Greenland.-Timeframe:...
that inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.
Settlements
The peninsula is administered as part of the QaasuitsupQaasuitsup
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. The main settlements are Qaarsut
Qaarsut
Qaarsut is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northwestern Greenland. It is situated on the northeastern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula...
and Niaqornat
Niaqornat
Niaqornat is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. Niaqornat means “the head-shaped” in Greenlandic. The settlement is located on the northern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, with a wide view over Uummannaq Fjord...
on the northeastern shore, Saqqaq
Saqqaq
Saqqaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in western Greenland. Founded in 1755, it had 188 inhabitants in 2010. The name of the village means "the sunny side" in Greenlandic.- Geography :...
on the southwestern shore, at the foot of the Livets Top mountain (1,150 m), and Qeqertaq
Qeqertaq
Qeqertaq is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located on an island off the southern shore of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, in an inlet of Sullorsuaq Strait...
on a small island just off the southern shore, at the base of the peninsula.