Tunulliarfik Fjord (old spelling: ''Tunugdliarfik'') is a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

near

Qaqortoq Qaqortoq, formerly Julianehåb, is a city in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland, located near Cape Thorvaldsen. With a population of 3,050 in 2020, it is the most populous town and the municipal capital in southern Greenland and the ...

in the

Kujalleq Kujalleq ( Greenlandic: , da, Den Syden, lit=The South) is a municipality on the southern tip of Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The administrative center of the municipality is in Qaqortoq (formerly called Julianehåb). Creation ...

municipality in southern

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...

. It is the inner section of Skovfjord (Skovfjorden). In times of the Norse settlement in southern Greenland, it was known as ''Eiriksfjord''.

Geography

The fjord head at approximately is formed by the estuary of a river flowing from the glacial outflow lake in Johan Dahl Land. At approximately , south of the

Narsarsuaq Narsarsuaq (lit. ''Great Plan'';''Facts and History of Narsarsuaq'', Narsarsuad Tourist Information old spelling: ''Narssarssuaq'') is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It had 123 inhabitants in 2020. There is a thri ...

settlement, the fjord is joined by its tributary Qooroq Fjord from the northeast, changing direction from southern into southwestern. Bounded by long peninsulas and low-lying islands from the southeast and the northwest, it has its mouth in the Skovfjord which empties in

Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ''mer du Labrador'', Danish: ''Labradorhavet'') is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It ...

at approximately .Ivittuut/Narsarsuaq/Qaqortoq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992 The Narsaq Sound, between the peninsula forming the northern shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord and Tuttutooq and Illutaliq islands, connects with neighbouring Bredefjord and

Nordre Sermilik Ikersuaq, old spelling ''Ikerssuak'', ( da, Bredefjord) is a fjord in southwestern Greenland. Administratively it is part of the Kujalleq municipality. Geography The Ikersuaq fjord is oriented in a roughly NE/SW direction and to the southwest it ...

to the north.

Settlement

There are several small settlements near the shores of the long Tunulliarfik Fjord. Narsarsuaq and

Qassiarsuk Qassiarsuk is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality, in southern Greenland. Its population was 39 in 2020. Qassiarsuk is part of the Kujataa World Heritage Site, due to its historical importance as the homestead of Erik the Red and its unique ...

are located on the opposite sides of the fjord near its head. Further south, the settlement of Igaliku occupies the

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...

of a peninsula bounding the fjord from the south. At the far end of Narsaq Peninsula bounding the upper reaches of the fjord from the north the town of

Narsaq Narsaq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name ''Narsaq'' is Kalaallisut for "Plain", referring to the shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord where the town is located. History People have lived in the area for thousands o ...

occupies a wide lowland with arable ground. There are no settlements in the lower reaches of the fjord.

Transport

Narsaq is a port of call for the

Arctic Umiaq Line Arctic Umiaq Line A/S (AUL) or Arctic Umiaq is a passenger and freight shipping line in Greenland. Its name derives from the Kalaallisut word for the traditional Inuit passenger boat, the umiak, distinguished from the kayak, used for hunting. The ...

coastal ship in the summer season.Arctic Umiaq Line, Timetable 2009
/ref> The southbound ferry route backtracks from

until the mouth of Tunulliarfik, to then sail northeast alongside the lower part of the fjord, anchoring at Narsaq port before turning around the same day. Narsaq Heliport and the international

Narsarsuaq Airport Narsarsuaq Airport ( kl, Mittarfik Narsarsuaq) is an airport located in Narsarsuaq, a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. Along with Kangerlussuaq Airport, it is one of two airports in Greenland capable of serving l ...

operate year-round, with STOL connections to

Nuuk Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the capital and largest city of Greenland, a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other coun ...

Kangerlussuaq Kangerlussuaq (; ; da, Søndre Strømfjord), is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name. It is Greenland's main air transport hub and the site of Greenland's largest commer ...

, and

Paamiut Paamiut, formerly Frederikshåb, is a town in southwestern Greenland in the Sermersooq municipality. Geography Paamiut is located on the coast of Labrador Sea in the southern end of a small estuary called Kuannersooq ("Inlet"). History Pe ...

, and helicopter connections to Alluitsup Paa,

Nanortalik Nanortalik (), formerly Nennortalik, is a town in Nanortalik Island, Kujalleq municipality, southern Greenland. With 1,185 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the eleventh-largest town in the country. The name ''Nanortalik'' means "Place of Polar Bear ...

, and Qaqortoq.Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals
Igaliku and Qassiarsuk can be reached by boat.

References

{{Authority control Fjords of Greenland

Geography

Settlement

Transport

See also

References