Ilulissat

Ilulissat (Danish: Jakobshavn from founder Jakob Severin) is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately 200 km (120 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010,^[1] it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut.

In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for "the icebergs".^[2] Ilulissat is Greenland's most popular tourist destination on account of its proximity to the picturesque Ilulissat Icefjord. Tourism is now the town's principal industry.

Ilulissat Icefjord

Ilulissat Icefjord (Kalaallisut: Ilulissat Kangerlua), a fjord southeast of Ilulissat, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Transport

Air

Ilulissat has an international airport located 2.8 km (1.7 mi) to the northeast of the town center. Built in 1983.

Ilulissat Airport serves Ilulissat, with connections to towns in northwestern, western Greenland and Reykjavik, Reykjavik Airport in Iceland.

• Connections to Iceland, started from April 2011

Operators by Air

• Air Greenland operates further connections to domestic destinations.
• Air Iceland operates flights to Iceland, connecting Ilulissat to other parts of the world.

Sea

Arctic Umiaq Line coastal ferry links Ilulissat with Sisimiut, Nuuk, and other towns and settlements on the western and southwestern coast of Greenland.

Notable residents

• Knud Rasmussen (1879–1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist, referred to as the "father of Eskimology".^[3] Born in Ilulissat,^[4] Rasmussen was the first man to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.^[5]
• Jørgen Brønlund (1877–1907), was also a polar explorer born in Ilulissat, He grew up with Rasmussen and accompanied him, along with Harald Moltke and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, on the Danish Literary Expedition (1902–1904) to examine Inuit culture. In 1906 he joined Mylius-Erichsen and Peter Høegh Hagen on the Danmark-ekspeditionen to map the northernmost regions of Greenland. Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in Peary Land is named after him.^[6]
• Jens Rosing (1925–2008), a Greenlandic artist notable for designing the coat of arms of Greenland, numerous Greenlandic postage stamps, as well as illustrated children's books and water colours − was born in Ilulissat.

Notable people

• Ricky Enø Jørgensen,Racing Cyclist

Population

With 4,546 inhabitants as of 2010, Ilulissat is the largest town in the Qaasuitsup municipality.^[7] The population increased over 8 percent relative to 1990 levels, but levelled off at around the current level in the 2000s.

Arctic Ocean Conference

The Arctic Ocean Conference was held in Ilulissat between 27 and 29 May 2008. It was hosted by Per Stig Møller, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hans Enoksen, the Greenlandic Prime Minister.^[8] The joint meeting between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States was held to discuss key issues relating to the Arctic Ocean and climate change.^[9]

The Ilulissat Declaration arose from the conference. One of its stated aims was blockage of any "new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean". An additional pledge for "the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims," was expected as the conference invitation originated in 2007 as a consequence of several jurisdictional disputes, including Hans Island and Arktika 2007.^[10]

Sports

The town is home to Nagdlunguaq-48 who play in the Coca Cola GM, Greenland's top football league. Nagdlunguaq-48, who play all their league games in Nuuk, have won the championship ten times.

Ilulissat in Pictures

References