| Qaanaaq | |
|---|---|
| Qaanaaq | |
| Coordinates: | |
| State | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Country | Greenland |
| Municipality | Qaasuitsup |
| First settled | 2000 BC |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 626 |
| Time zone | UTC-04 |
| Postal code | 3971 |
Qaanaaq (pronounced [qaːnaːq], formerly Thule) 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.[1] The tallest construction in Greenland, the 378-meter Globecom Tower (Radio Mast Thule), is located near the town.[2][3]
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The Qaanaaq area in northern Greenland was first settled 2000 BC by the Paleo-Eskimo migrating from the Canadian Arctic.[4] The town of Qaanaaq was founded when the US extended their current airbase at Thule and the former population of Pituffik was forced to move out 31 km (19 mi) to the north within four days during the height of the Cold War.
Air Greenland operates fixed-wing aircraft services between Qaanaaq Airport and Upernavik Airport, with further connections to Ilulissat Airport and Qaarsut Airport. Settlement flights operate to Siorapaluk, sporadically to Moriusaq, and to Savissivik via Thule Air Base.[5]
With 626 inhabitants as of 2010, Qaanaaq is the largest settlement in the far north of the country.[6] Its population has been relatively stable over the last two decades, increasing by more than 13 percent relative to the 1990 levels.[6]
Qaanaaq has a polar climate (Köppen "Polar tundra") and hence has long, cold winters. Peak temperatures occur in July and seldom reach over 10ºC.
| Climate data for Qaanaaq | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
1 (34) |
2 (36) |
6 (43) |
12 (54) |
20 (68) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
10 (50) |
5 (41) |
3 (37) |
3 (37) |
20 (68) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −20 (−4) |
−22 (−8) |
−20 (−4) |
−13 (9) |
−3 (27) |
3 (37) |
7 (45) |
5 (41) |
1 (34) |
−7 (19) |
−14 (7) |
−18 (0) |
−8 (18) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −27 (−17) |
−29 (−20) |
−28 (−18) |
−21 (−6) |
−8 (18) |
1 (34) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
−5 (23) |
−13 (9) |
−21 (−6) |
−25 (−13) |
−15 (5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −40 (−40) |
−43 (−45) |
−41 (−42) |
−34 (−29) |
−22 (−8) |
−7 (19) |
−3 (27) |
−6 (21) |
−17 (1) |
−31 (−24) |
−33 (−27) |
−46 (−51) |
−46 (−51) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
5 (0.2) |
13 (0.51) |
13 (0.51) |
10 (0.39) |
3 (0.12) |
3 (0.12) |
5 (0.2) |
67 (2.64) |
| Avg. rainy days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Source no. 1: Weatherbase[7] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: BBC Weather[8] | |||||||||||||
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