Upernavik

Upernavik
Upernavik's aerial view
Upernavik Location within Greenland
Coordinates: 72°47′2″N 56°9′2″W / 72.78389°N 56.15056°W / 72.78389; -56.15056
Country	Kingdom of Denmark
Province	Greenland
Municipality	Qaasuitsup
Population (2005)
- Total	1,178
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)

Upernavik ("Springtime Place" in Greenlandic) is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality on the northwestern coast of Greenland. It is located on one of the small islands in the archipelago off the northwestern coast of the Sigguup Nunaa peninsula. 1,178 people live in the town. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance.

History

In 1824, the Kingigtorssuaq Runestone was found outside Upernavik. It bears runic characters left by Vikings, 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.

Transport

Upernavik is served by the Upernavik Airport, with scheduled flights to Qaanaaq, Qaarsut, and Ilulissat. The Bell 212 helicopter calls the villages on days which Air Greenland flies to Upernavik. In summer, a small ferry of Royal Arctic Line sails to local villages.

Photographs

Northwestern part of Upernavik in midnight sun	The new church	The old church, which is the second-oldest building in the town	The cemetery; the graves are decorated with artificial flowers.
Work at the harbour	Sleddogs chained in residential area	Dogsleds	Duda Lasø anchored in the harbour

Further reading

External links

• Media related to Upernavik at Wikimedia Commons