| Nuuk Godthåb |
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| — City — | |||
| Nuussuaq district of Nuuk with the Sermitsiaq mountain in the background | |||
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Nuuk
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Greenland | ||
| Municipality | Sermersooq | ||
| Founded | August 29, 1728 | ||
| Incorporated | 1728 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Asii Chemnitz Narup (Inuit Ataqatigiit) | ||
| Area | |||
| • City | 265 sq mi (686.3 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 3-16 ft (-2 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • City | 15,487 (Largest in Greenland) | ||
| • Metro | 18,039 (including Qiisumooq/Ingestad village) | ||
| Time zone | Western Greenland Standard (UTC‑3) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Western Greenland Daylight (UTC‑2) | ||
| Postal code | 3900 | ||
Nuuk (; "the peninsula"; Danish: Godthåb "good hope") is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in Greenland. Foreign cities closest to the capital are Iqaluit and St. John's in Canada and Reykjavik in Iceland.
Nuuk is the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. It has a population of 15,469 (as of January 2010),[1] making it one of the smallest capital cities in the world by population.
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The site has a long history of habitation. The area around Nuuk was first occupied by the ancient pre-Inuit, Paleo-Eskimo people of the Saqqaq culture as far back as 2200 BC when they lived in the area around the now abandoned settlement of Qoornoq.[2] For a long time it was occupied by the Dorset culture around the former settlement of Kangeq but they disappeared from the Nuuk district before AD 1000. The Nuuk area was later inhabited by Viking explorers in the 10th century, and shortly thereafter by Inuit peoples.[3] Inuit and Norsemen both lived with little interaction in this area from about AD 1000 until around AD 1500, when Norse settlement ended, probably due to changes in climate and vegetation.
The city proper, christened Godthåb (Good Hope), was founded in 1728 by the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede, who had arrived earlier in 1721. Hans Egede arrived at a place close to an existing Inuit population at Kangeq. At that time, Greenland was formally still a Norwegian colony under the Dano-Norwegian Crown, but the colony had not had any contact with Norway proper for almost three centuries. King Frederick IV sent three frigates to Greenland soon after Egede re-established Godthåb, bringing personnel and materials to build a fort. Most of the personnel were convicts and prostitutes and most died within the first year of scurvy and other ailments. In 1733 to 1734 a smallpox epidemic killed most of the native population as well as Hans Egede's wife.[4] Hans Egede went back to Denmark in 1736 after 15 years in Greenland, leaving his son Paul Egede to continue his work.[5] Moravian missionaries took over the area.
Around 1850, Greenland and especially the area around Nuuk were in crisis. The Europeans had brought diseases and a culture that conflicted with the ways of the native Greenlanders. Many Greenlanders were living in poverty. In 1853 Hinrich Johannes Rink came to Greenland and perceived that the Greenlanders had lost much of their culture and identity under Danish influence. In response he started Greenland's first newspaper, Atuagagdliutt, in 1861, with a native Greenlander as editor. This newspaper based in Nuuk later became very significant for the Greenlandic identity.
During World War II there was a reawakening to Greenlandic national identity. Greenlanders shared a written language and assembled a council under Eske Brun's leadership in Nuuk. In 1940 an American and a Canadian Consulate were established in Nuuk. Under new regulations in 1950, two councils amalgamated into one. This Countryside Council was abolished on May 1, 1979, when the city of Godthåb was renamed Nuuk by the Greenland Home Rule government. As in Greenland as a whole, Nuuk is populated today by both Inuit and Danes. Currently over a third of Greenland's total population lives in the Nuuk Greater Metropolitan area.[6]
Nuuk is located at approximately .[7] at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua, some 10 km (6.2 mi) from the shores of Labrador Sea on the southwestern coast of Greenland, and about 240 km (150 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. Initially, the fjord flows to the northwest, to then turn southwest at , splitting into three arms in its lower run, with three big islands in between the arms: Sermitsiaq Island, Qeqertarsuaq Island, and Qoornuup Qeqertarsua.[8] The fjord widens into a bay dotted with skerries near its mouth, opening into Labrador Sea at approximately . The Sermitsiaq mountain looms over the city and can be seen almost everywhere in Nuuk. The mountain has given its name to the nationwide newspaper Sermitsiaq.
Nuuk has a maritime-influenced polar climate (Köppen ET) with cold, snowy winters and cool summers. In December, the sun rises at 10:00 and sets at 14:30. By contrast, from late May to early August the days are long. Temperatures average below freezing for 7 months of the year. The coldest month is March, at −8 °C (17.6 °F), while the warmest is July, at 6.5 °C (43.7 °F), while the year averages out at −1.42 °C (29.4 °F). Extremes have ranged from −29.5 °C (−21 °F) to 24.2 °C (76 °F).[9]
| Climate data for Nuuk | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11 (52) |
11 (52) |
12 (54) |
13 (55) |
16 (61) |
23 (73) |
24 (75) |
22 (72) |
17 (63) |
18 (64) |
14 (57) |
15 (59) |
24 (75) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.1 (37.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
9.3 (48.7) |
6.0 (42.8) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
1.4 (34.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −10 (14) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
1.1 (34.0) |
3.5 (38.3) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−8.6 (16.5) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29 (−20) |
−27 (−17) |
−28 (−18) |
−21 (−6) |
−12 (10) |
−6 (21) |
−2 (28) |
−3 (27) |
−8 (18) |
−14 (7) |
−18 (0) |
−26 (−15) |
−29 (−20) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 40 (1.57) |
47 (1.85) |
49 (1.93) |
47 (1.85) |
55 (2.17) |
62 (2.44) |
87 (3.43) |
85 (3.35) |
89 (3.5) |
66 (2.6) |
73 (2.87) |
74 (2.91) |
774 (30.47) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 116 |
| Sunshine hours | 31 | 84 | 186 | 240 | 186 | 150 | 186 | 124 | 90 | 62 | 30 | 0 | 1,369 |
| Source no. 1: World Meteorological Organisation (UN)[10] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: BBC Weather | |||||||||||||
With 15,469 inhabitants as of 2010, Nuuk is the fastest growing town in Greenland,[11] with migrants from the smaller towns and settlements reinforcing the trend. Together with Tasiilaq, it is the only town in the Sermersooq municipality exhibiting stable growth patterns over the last two decades. The population increased by over a quarter relative to the 1990 levels, and by nearly 16% relative to the 2000 levels.[11]
As the capital of Greenland, Nuuk is the administrative centre of the country, containing all of the important government buildings and institutions. The current mayor of Nuuk is Asii Chemnitz Narup from the Inuit Ataqatigiit party.
The national parliament of Greenland, the Landsting, is located in Nuuk. It currently has 31 seats and its members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. All of Greenland's major political parties have their headquarters in Nuuk, including the Inuit Ataqatigiit, Siumut, Democrats, Atassut, Association of Candidates and the Women's Party.
KANUKOKA Kalaallisut: Kalaallit Nunaanni Kommunit Kattuffiannit is based in Nuuk. It is an association of Greenland's municipalities, led by Enok Sandgreen.[12] The aim of the organization is to facilitate cooperation among all four municipalities of Greenland: Kujalleq, Qaasuitsup, Qeqqata, and Sermersooq. The organization runs the municipal elections every four years, with the last election taking place in 2008.[13] All municipal authorities in Greenland are currently members of the organization.[14] The association is overseen by Maliina Abelsen, the Minister for Social Affairs in the Government of Greenland.[12][15]
Although only a small city, Nuuk has developed trade, business, shipping and other industries. Nuuk began as a small fishing settlement with a harbor but as the economy developed rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, the fishing industry in the capital declined.[16] However, seafood, including fish, seal etc. is sold in abundance in Nuuk and the capital contains a number of fish markets, the largest being Kalaaliaraq Market. Minerals such as zinc, gold, etc. have contributed to the development of Nuuk's economy.
The city, like much of Greenland, is heavily dependent upon Danish investment and relies on Denmark for block funding.[17]
All of Greenland's electricity is powered by the government owned company Nukissiorfiit, that has a monopoly on the electricity in Greenland. Nuuk gets its electric power mainly from Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant by way of a 132 kV powerline crossing Ameralik fjord on the world's longest span.
Nuuk has several educational institutions of higher learning. The University of Greenland (Ilisimatusarfik), which is the only university in Greenland, is located in Nuuk. The university expanded in 2007 with the new building called Ilimmarfik which houses departments of journalism, management and economics, language, literature and media, cultural and social history, theology and religion and social work. Nuuk is also home to the Department of Learning (Ilinniarfissuaq), the oldest educational facility in Greenland, located in the old colonial part of Nuuk (Nuutoqaq: Old Nuuk). Other notable educational institutions include the Department of Nursing and Health Science, Nuuk Technical College and the Iron- & Metal School.
The city is served by Queen Ingrid's Hospital. The hospital not only serves as the main hospital for the municipality but is the central hospital in all of Greenland. The hospital has around 130 beds.[18]
The Nuuk Tourist Office was built in 1992 to house the headquarters of the new National Tourist Board of Greenland.[19] It was built not only to provide information to tourists but as an attraction, with a fake Christmas tree and an extremely large postal box.
Nuuk has an international airport located 4 km (2.5 mi) to the northeast of the town centrum. Built in 1979, it is a focus city for Air Greenland, which is also headquartered in Nuuk,[20] and operates its technical base at the airport.
For most of the year, Nuuk is served twice-weekly by coastal ferries of Arctic Umiaq Line which link the communities of the western coast.[21]
The main street in Nuuk is Aqqusinersuaq, with a number of shops and the 140-room Hotel Hans Egede.[22] The majority of the 72 buses and 2,570 cars owned in Greenland (as of 2004) operate in Nuuk.[23] Nuup Bussii provides frequent bus services to the outlying districts of Nuussuaq and Qinngorput.
Nuuk Cathedral was established in 1849. The red building with a steeple is a prominent site on the landscape. The Herrnhut House was the centre of the Moravian Mission station in Nuuk which was active across the west coast. Other landmarks include the Hans Egede Church and the Hans Egede Statue.
Katuaq Culture Centre is a cultural centre used for both concerts cinema, exhibitions and conferences. It was designed by schmidt hammer lassen, it was inaugurated on February 15, 1997. Katuaq contains two auditoria, the larger one seating 1,008 people and the smaller one 508. The complex also contains an art school, library, meeting facilities, administrative offices and a café.
The University of Greenland is located in Nuuk and is the national university of Greenland. Most courses are taught in Danish and a few in Greenlandic. As of 2007, the university had approximately 150 students, almost all local inhabitants, and around 14 academic staff and five technical-administrative employees.[24] Its library holds approximately 18,000 volumes.
Nuuk Art Museum is the only private art and crafts museum in Greenland.[25] The museum contains a notable collection of paintings, watercolors, drawings and graphics, figures in soapstone, ivory, and wood, with many items collected by the businessman Svend Junge.[25] Of particular note is a collection of over 150 paintings by Emanuel A. Petersen.[25]
The National Museum of Greenland is located in Nuuk and was one of the first museums established in Greenland, inaugurated in the mid 1960s.[26] The museum is affiliated with the Danish National Museum which has expanded its collections. The museum has many artifacts related to archaeology, history, art, and handicrafts and also has information about ruins, graveyards, buildings etc.
Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (The Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation or KNR), the national public broadcasting corporation of Greenland is based in Nuuk. It is an independent state-owned corporation headed by a seven-person board. KNR provides one national television station and one national radio station. The radio station operates mostly in the Greenlandic language (Kalaallisut) but also in Danish.
The Greenland Centre for Performing Arts in Nuuk was opened in 1997, as a joint project between the Greenland Government, the Nuuk Municipal Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The centre contains a theatre, an exhibition hall and conference facilities and a cafe.[27]
The National Library of Greenland in Nuuk is the largest reference library in the country, devoted to the preservation of national cultural heritage and history.[28] The library holdings are split between the public library in the town centrum, and Ilimmarfik, the campus of the University of Greenland. As of 1 January 2008, there are 83,324 items in the library database at Ilimmarfik.[29]
The most famous sports club is Nuuk IL, founded in 1934, followed by B-67 (very famous for its football section) and GSS Nuuk (very strong in the 70s').
Nuuk Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, used mostly for football matches. The stadium has a capacity for 2,000.[30] The stadium can also be used as an entertainment venue and recently the Scottish rock band Nazareth, of Love Hurts fame, performed at the venue. Nuuk also has the Godthåbhallen, a handball stadium. It is the home of the Greenland national handball team and has a capacity of 1,000.[31]
| City | Country | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Cuxhaven | Germany | |
| Aalborg | Denmark | 2002 |
| Vantaa | Finland | 1965 |
| Changchun | China | |
| Tiverton | United States | |
| Lyngby-Taarbæk | Denmark | |
| Huddinge | Sweden | |
| Reykjavik | Iceland | |
| Ushuaia | Argentina | |
| Bocas Town | Panama | |
| Sorong | Indonesia |
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