Upernavik
Encyclopedia
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup
municipality in northwestern Greenland
, located on a small island of the same name
. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance. It contains the Upernavik Museum
.
s, probably from the late 13th century. The runic characters list the names of three Vikings, and mention the construction of a rock cairn
nearby.
This is the furthest north that any Viking artifacts have been found, other than those small artifacts that could have been carried north by Inuit
traders, and marks the northern known limit of Viking exploration.
, with scheduled flights from Upernavik Airport
to Qaanaaq
, Qaarsut
, and Ilulissat
. Most settlements in the archipelago are served during weekdays with the Bell 212 helicopter.
. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of Sigguup Nunaa
peninsula in the south at approximately 71°50′N 56°00′W to the southern end of Melville Bay
in the north at approximately 74°50′N 57°30′W.
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 northwestern 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 on a small island of the same name
Upernavik Island
Upernavik Island is a island of Greenland. It is located in Baffin Bay in the Upernavik Archipelago....
. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance. It contains the Upernavik Museum
Upernavik Museum
Upernavik Museum is a museum in Upernavik, a town in northwestern Greenland. It is the oldest museum in Greenland, holding an extensive collection of local art. It has its own Museum Board that selects the artists, after recommendation from the curator of the museum....
.
History
In 1824, the Kingittorsuaq Runestone was found outside Upernavik; which was founded in 1772. It bears runic characters left by VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, probably from the late 13th century. The runic characters list the names of three Vikings, and mention the construction of a rock cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
nearby.
This is the furthest north that any Viking artifacts have been found, other than those small artifacts that could have been carried north by 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...
traders, and marks the northern known limit of Viking exploration.
Air
Upernavik is served by Air GreenlandAir 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...
, with scheduled flights from Upernavik Airport
Upernavik Airport
Upernavik Airport is an airport located northeast of Upernavik, a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, capable of serving STOL aircraft...
to Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq
Qaanaaq is the main town in the northern part of the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is one of the northernmost towns in the world. The inhabitants of Qaanaaq speak the West Greenlandic language and many also speak Inuktun. The town has a population of 626 as of 2010...
, 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 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....
. Most settlements in the archipelago are served during weekdays with the Bell 212 helicopter.
Upernavik Archipelago
Upernavik is located within Upernavik Archipelago, a vast archipelago of small islands on the coast of northeastern 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...
. The archipelago extends from the northwestern coast of Sigguup Nunaa
Sigguup Nunaa
Nunavik Peninsula is a large peninsula in northwestern Greenland. It separates two cultural and geographical regions of northwestern Greenland: Uummannaq Fjord region in the southeast, and Upernavik Archipelago in the north.- Geography :...
peninsula in the south at approximately 71°50′N 56°00′W to the southern end of Melville Bay
Melville Bay
Melville Bay , is a large bay off the coast of northwestern Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, Qimusseriarsuaq, means "the great dog sledding place"....
in the north at approximately 74°50′N 57°30′W.