Nuup Kangerlua is a long
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, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...
in the
Sermersooq
Sermersooq (, da, sted med meget is, lit=place of much ice) is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital ...
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in southwestern
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 is t ...
. It was formerly known by its colonial name as Godthaab Fjord ( da, Godthåbsfjorden), Gilbert Sound and Baal's River.
[Nicoll, James. ]
An Historical and Descriptive Account of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands
'. Oliver & Boyd, 1840.
Located by the island's capital,
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 co ...
, it is the longest fjord on the
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 shelf, continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, ...
coast of Greenland, and one of the longest in the inhabited part of the country.
Geography
The fjord head is located deep inland, with the fjord beginning as an icefjord at , with two glaciers draining the
Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet ( da, Grønlands indlandsis, kl, Sermersuaq) is a vast body of ice covering , roughly near 80% of the surface of Greenland. It is sometimes referred to as an ice cap, or under the term ''inland ice'', or its Danish equiva ...
( kl, Sermersuaq) flowing into the fjord.
Initially, the fjord flows to the northwest, to then turn southwest at , splitting into three arms in its lower run, with three large, mountainous islands in between the arms:
Sermitsiaq Island
Sermitsiaq Island ( da, Sadelø) is an uninhabited island in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland.
Geography
Sermitsiaq is one of three mountainous islands located in the middle section of the long Nuup Kangerlua fjord, to the ...
with the
Sermitsiaq mountain visible from most of
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 co ...
,
Qeqertarsuaq Island
Disko Island ( kl, Qeqertarsuaq, da, Diskoøen) is a large island in Baffin Bay, off the west coast of Greenland. It has an area of , , and
Qoornuup Qeqertarsua Island
Qoornup Qeqertarsua Island ( da, Bjørneøen) is an uninhabited island in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland.
Geography
Qoornup Qeqertarsua is one of three mountainous islands located in the middle run of the Nuup Kangerlua f ...
.
The fjord widens into a bay dotted with
skerries
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation.
Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to:
Geography
Northern Ireland
* Skerries, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh
* Skerry, County Antrim, a ...
near its mouth, opening into Labrador Sea at approximately , near the former
Kangeq
Kangeq or Kangek (Kalaallisut: "Promontory") is a former settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. It is located on the same island that formed the first Danish colony on Greenland between 1721 and 1728.
History
As a ...
settlement.
Settlement
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 co ...
, the capital of Greenland, is located near the mouth of the fjord, on a mountainous peninsula bounding the fjord from the southeast.
Kapisillit
Kapisillit is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. In 2020, the settlement had 52 inhabitants. ''Kapisillit'' means ''the salmon'' in the Greenlandic language ( da, laksen). The name refers to the belief that the ...
is located northeast of Nuuk, near the head of
Kapisillit Kangerluaq
Kapisillit is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland. In 2020, the settlement had 52 inhabitants. ''Kapisillit'' means ''the salmon'' in the Greenlandic language ( da, laksen). The name refers to the belief that the ...
,
one of the tributary fjords of Nuup Kangerlua.
See also
*
List of fjords of Greenland
This is a list of the most important fjords of Greenland:In Northern Greenland, a large area made up entirely of fjords; therefore Peary Land above not a fjord but a fjord area.In Northeastern Greenland, a large area made up entirely of fjor ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Fjords of Greenland
Labrador Sea
Geography of Nuuk