Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
and
largest city
The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...
of
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 ...
, a constituent country of the
Kingdom of Denmark
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...
. Nuuk is the seat of
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other countries closest to the capital are
Iqaluit
Iqaluit ( ; , ; ) is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its t ...
and
St. John's in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. Nuuk contains a third of Greenland's population and its tallest building. Nuuk is also the seat of government for 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 January 2021, it had a population of 18,800.
The city was founded in 1728 by the Dano-Norwegian missionary
Hans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede (31 January 1686 – 5 November 1758) was a Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inui ...
when he relocated from the earlier Hope Colony () where he arrived in 1721. The governor
Claus Paarss
Major Claus Enevold Paarss (18 February 1683 – 26 May 1762) was a Danish military officer and official. Retired from service,Marquardt, Ole"Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy"in ''The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Emp ...
was part of the relocation. The new colony was placed at the Inuit settlement of Nûk and was named ''Godthaab'' ("Good Hope"). "Nuuk" is the
Greenlandic word for "
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
" ( da, næs) and is commonly found in Greenlandic place names. It is so named because of its position at the end of the
Nuup Kangerlua
Nuup Kangerlua is a long fjord in the Sermersooq municipalities of Greenland, municipality in southwestern Greenland. It was formerly known by its colonial name as Godthaab Fjord ( da, Godthåbsfjorden), Gilbert Sound and Baal's River.Nicoll, Ja ...
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 ...
on the eastern shore of 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, ...
. Its
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
, at 64°11' N, makes it the world's
northernmost capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
, only a few kilometres farther north than the Icelandic capital
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
. When
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
was established in 1979, the authorization of place names was transferred to Greenlandic authorities, who subsequently preferred Greenlandic names over Danish ones. The name ''Godthåb'' mostly went out of use over the next two decades.
The campus of the
University of Greenland
The University of Greenland ( kl, Ilisimatusarfik Kalaallit Nunaat; da, Grønlands Universitet) is Greenland's only university. It is in the capital city of Nuuk. Most courses are taught in Danish, a few in Greenlandic and classes by exchange le ...
, hosting
Statistics Greenland
Statistics Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaanni Naatsorsueqqissaartarfik, da, Grønlands Statistik) is a central statistical organization in Greenland, operating under the auspices of the Government of Greenland, working in cooperation with the Mi ...
and the main holdings of the
Public and National Library of Greenland
The Public and National Library of Greenland ( kl, Nunatta Atuagaateqarfia) is the public and national library of Greenland, located in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It is the largest reference library in the country, devoted to the preservation ...
, are at the northern end of the district, near the road to
Nuuk Airport
Nuuk Airport ( kl, Mittarfik Nuuk; da, Godthåb Lufthavn; is an airport serving Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The airport is a technical base and focus city for Air Greenland, the flag carrier airline of Greenland, linking the capital with s ...
.
Nuuk receives its electric power mainly from the renewable energy-powered
Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant
The Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant is the first and largest hydroelectric power plant in Greenland. It was built by Nuuk-Kraft and it is operated by Nukissiorfiit, Greenland's national energy company.
In 1984–85, Greenland's energy authori ...
by way of a 132 kV powerline crossing
Ameralik fjord over a distance of , the world's longest free span.
History
The site has a long history of habitation. The area around Nuuk was first occupied by the ancient, pre-Inuit,
Paleo-Eskimo
The Paleo-Eskimo (also pre-Thule or pre-Inuit) were the peoples who inhabited the Arctic region from Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Chukotka (e.g., Chertov Ovrag) in present-day Russia across North America to Greenland prior to the arrival of the mode ...
people of the
Saqqaq culture
The Saqqaq culture (named after the Saqqaq settlement, the site of many archaeological finds) was a Paleo-Eskimo culture in southern Greenland. Up to this day, no other people seem to have lived in Greenland continually for as long as the Saqqaq. ...
as far back as 2200 BC when they lived in the area around the now abandoned settlement of
Qoornoq
Qoornoq (old spelling: ''Qôrnoq'') is an uninhabited fishing village in the Sermersooq municipality in southwestern Greenland.
History
The area was known to have been inhabited by the ancient pre-Inuit, Paleo-Eskimo people of the Saqqaq culture ...
.
For a long time, it was occupied by the
Dorset culture
The Dorset was a Paleo-Eskimo culture, lasting from to between and , that followed the Pre-Dorset and preceded the Thule people (proto-Inuit) in the North American Arctic. The culture and people are named after Cape Dorset (now Kinngait) in N ...
around the former settlement of
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 ...
, but they disappeared from the Nuuk district before AD 1000. The Nuuk area was later inhabited by
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
explorers in the 10th century (
Western Settlement
The Western Settlement ( non, Vestribygð ) was a group of farms and communities established by Norsemen from Iceland around 985 in medieval Greenland. Despite its name, the Western Settlement was more north than west of its companion Eastern Set ...
), and shortly thereafter by
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
peoples.
Inuit and Norsemen both lived with little interaction in this area from about 1000 until the disappearance of the
Norse settlement
for uncertain reasons during the 15th century.
![Egede nuuk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Egede_nuuk.JPG)
The city proper was founded as the fort of Godt-Haab in 1728 by the
royal governor Claus Paarss
Major Claus Enevold Paarss (18 February 1683 – 26 May 1762) was a Danish military officer and official. Retired from service,Marquardt, Ole"Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy"in ''The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Emp ...
, when he relocated the missionary and merchant
Hans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede (31 January 1686 – 5 November 1758) was a Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inui ...
's earlier Hope Colony () from
Kangeq Island to the mainland. At that time, Greenland was formally still a
Norwegian colony (
until 1814) under the united
Dano-Norwegian Crown, but the colony had not had any contact for over three centuries. Paarss's colonists consisted of mutinous soldiers, convicts, and prostitutes and most died within the first year of scurvy and other ailments. In 1733 and 1734, a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic killed most of the native population as well as Egede's wife.
Hans Egede went back to Denmark in 1736 after 15 years in Greenland, leaving his son
Poul
Poul is a Danish masculine given name. It is the Danish cognate of the name Paul. Poul may refer to:
People
* Poul Andersen (1922–2006), Danish printer
*Poul Anderson (1926–2001), American writer
*Poul Erik Andreasen (born 1949), Danish foot ...
to continue his work. Godthaab became the seat of government for the Danish colony of
South Greenland
The Southern Inspectorate of Greenland also known as South Greenland was a Danish inspectorate on Greenland consisting of the trading centers and missionary stations along the southwest coast of the island. Its capital was at Godthaab (modern Nuu ...
, while
Godhavn
Qeqertarsuaq () is a port and town in Qeqertalik municipality, located on the south coast of Disko Island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, the town is now home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen known as Arctic Station. ...
(modern Qeqertarsuaq) was the capital of
North Greenland
The Northern Inspectorate of Greenland also known as North Greenland was a Danish inspectorate on Greenland consisting of the trading centers and missionary stations along the northwest coast of the island.
History
North Greenland was established ...
until 1940, when the administration was unified in Godthaab.
In 1733,
Moravian missionaries
, image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg
, imagewidth = 250px
, caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
, main_classification = Proto-Prot ...
received permission to begin a mission on the island; in 1747, there were enough converts to prompt the construction of the
Moravian Brethren Mission House
Moravian Brethren Mission House or Herrnhut House ( da, Herrnhuthuset) is a historical building in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, established in 1747 from timber shipped to the United Brethren from the Netherlands.Brown, William. The History o ...
and the formal establishment of the mission as New Herrnhut ( da, Nye-Hernhut). This became the nucleus for present-day Nuuk as many Greenlanders from the southeastern coast left their territory to live at the mission station. From this base, further missions were established at
Lichtenfels (1748),
Lichtenau (1774),
Friedrichsthal (1824),
Umanak
Uummannaq is a town in the Avannaata municipality, in central-western Greenland. With 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Founded in 1763 as Omenak, t ...
(1861), and
Idlorpait
Idlorpait is a former Moravian mission in southernmost Greenland located between the missions at Lichtenau and Friedrichsthal.Lüdecke, Cornelia.East Meets West: Meteorological observations of the Moravians in Greenland and Labrador since the 18 ...
(1864), before they were discontinued in 1900 and folded into the Lutheran
Church of Denmark
The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...
.
![Legende børn, ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Legende_b%C3%B8rn%2C_ca._1878_%288473597948%29.jpg)
Around 1850, Greenland, and especially the area around Nuuk, were in crisis. The Europeans had brought diseases and a culture that conflicted with the ways of the native Greenlanders. Many Greenlanders were living in poverty. In 1853,
Hinrich Johannes Rink
Dr. Hinrich Johannes Rink (first name sometimes as Henrik) (26 August 1819 – 15 December 1893) was a Danish geologist, one of the pioneers of glaciology, and the first accurate describer of the inland ice of Greenland. Rink, who first came to ...
came to Greenland and perceived the Greenlanders had lost much of their culture and identity under Danish influence. In response, in 1861, he started the ''
Atuagagdliutt'', Greenland's first newspaper, with a native Greenlander as editor. This newspaper based in Nuuk later became significant for the Greenlandic identity.
On 3 October 1888, Norwegian explorer
Fridtjof Nansen
Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 186113 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian. He led the team t ...
reached Godthaab, completing a trek which began on 11 August in
Umivik Bay
Umivik Bay ( da, Umivik Bugt), also known as ''Umiivik'' and ''Umerik'', is a bay in King Frederick VI Coast, southeastern Greenland. It is part of the Sermersooq municipality.
Unlike the jagged and forbidding appearance of most fjord systems i ...
on Greenland's east coast. His was the first European party to cross Greenland successfully. The group spent the next seven months there awaiting a ship back to Norway.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, there was a reawakening of Greenlandic national identity. Greenlanders shared a written language and assembled a council under
Eske Brun
Eske Brun (May 25, 1904 – October 11, 1987) was a high civil servant in Greenland and in relation to Greenland from 1932 to 1964.
Early life and career.
Eske Brun was born in Aalborg in the northern part of Jutland, Denmark. Eske Brun was ...
's leadership in Nuuk. In 1940, an American and a Canadian Consulate were established in Nuuk. Under new regulations in 1950, two councils amalgamated into one. This Countryside Council was abolished on 1 May 1979, when the city of Godthåb was renamed Nuuk by the Greenland Home Rule government. The city boomed during the 1950s when
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
began to modernise Greenland. As in Greenland as a whole, Nuuk is populated today by both Inuit and
Danes
Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
Danes generally regard t ...
. Over a third of Greenland's total population lives in the Nuuk Greater Metropolitan area.
An article examining indigenous influences on cities worldwide
suggested,
Geography
Nuuk is located at approximately
[Municipality information.](_blank)
''De grønlandske kommuners Landsforening'', KANUKOKA at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua (formerly Baal's River), some from the shores of 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, ...
on the southwestern coast of Greenland, and about south of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
. Initially, the fjord flows to the northwest, to then turn southwest at , splitting into three arms in its lower run, with three big 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 ...
,
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
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 near its mouth, opening into Labrador Sea at approximately . Some to the northeast, reaching a height of ,
Sermitsiaq can be seen from almost everywhere in Nuuk. The mountain has given its name to the nationwide newspaper ''
Sermitsiaq''. Closer to the town are the peaks of
Store Malene, , and
Lille Malene, .
The
magnetic declination
Magnetic declination, or magnetic variation, is the angle on the horizontal plane between magnetic north (the direction the north end of a magnetized compass needle points, corresponding to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field lines) and ...
at Nuuk is extreme.
[On 11 October 2015, the ]magnetic declination
Magnetic declination, or magnetic variation, is the angle on the horizontal plane between magnetic north (the direction the north end of a magnetized compass needle points, corresponding to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field lines) and ...
between the North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
and Nuuk was "27° 49' W ± 0° 33' changing by 0° 22' E per year", calculated with NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
'
Magnetic Field Calculators
National Geophysical Data Center
The United States National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) provided scientific stewardship, products and services for geophysical data describing the solid earth, marine, and solar-terrestrial environment, as well as earth observations from spac ...
.
Climate
Nuuk has a maritime-influenced
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''ET'') with cold, long, snowy winters and cool, short summers. Although the winters in Nuuk are relatively cold, they are milder compared to other tundra climates, such as in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
or parts of
Eastern Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...
. Instead, peak winter is similar to identical latitudes in the
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
. On 21 December, the shortest day and longest night of the year, the sun rises at 10:30 am and sets at 2:20 pm. By contrast, on the longest day and shortest night of the year, 21 June, the sun rises at 2:54 am and does not set until 12:04 am, giving a quasi-
Midnight Sun
The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, t ...
. Nuuk can have mild temperatures on brief occasions year-round, with each month having recorded or warmer, although only June, July, August, and September have recorded what could be considered hot weather (defined as or higher). The monthly averages range from to , whereas all-time extremes range from on 14 January 1984 to on 6 July 2008. The record wind in Nuuk is 68 km/h.
The average monthly temperature ( in August) is colder than what is considered the
limit for trees ( during the warmest month). There are a few planted trees which do not sustain well.
Demographics
With 18,800 inhabitants as of January 2021, Nuuk is by far the largest town in Greenland. The population of Nuuk has doubled since 1977, increased by over a third since 1990, and risen by almost 21% since 2000. In addition to those born in Greenland, data from 2015 showed 3,826 were born outside the country. Attracted by good employment opportunities with high wages, Danes have continued to settle in the town. Today, Nuuk has the highest proportion of Danes of any town in Greenland. Half of Greenland's immigrants live in Nuuk, which also accounts for a quarter of the country's native population.
Government
As the capital of Greenland, Nuuk is the administrative centre of the country, containing all of the important government buildings and institutions. The public sector bodies are also the town's largest employer.
As of January 2021, the mayor of Nuuk is Charlotte Ludvigsen. She replaced former mayor
Asii Chemnitz Narup
Asii Chemnitz Narup (born 1954) is a Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit. Narup was the country's environmental and health minister between 2005 and 2006. She resigned in protest against what she felt was a poorly function ...
in 2019 following a social media scandal involving posts criticizing her party. Like Narup, Ludvigsen is a member of the
Inuit Ataqatigiit
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, , da, Folkets Samfund) is a democratic socialist, separatist political party in Greenland that aims to make Greenland an independent state. The party, founded as a political organisation in 1976, was born out of the increas ...
party.
Greenland's
self-government parliament, the Inatsisartut, is in Nuuk. It has 31 seats and its members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
to serve four-year terms. All of Greenland's major political parties have their headquarters in Nuuk, including the Inuit Ataqatigiit,
Siumut
Siumut (, ) is a political party in Greenland in the social democratic tradition. Since the establishment of home rule in 1979, it has been the dominant party in Greenland. Siumut is led by Erik Jensen, who beat the then-incumbent Prime Ministe ...
,
Democrats,
Atassut
Atassut ( en, Cohesion / Link / Togetherness / Solidarity; also referred to as Feeling of Community) is a liberal-conservative and unionist political party in Greenland. Founded on 29 April 1978, Atassut is an established partner of the Libera ...
,
Association of Candidates and the
Women's Party.
KANUKOKA
KANUKOKA ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaanni Kommunit Kattuffiat) was based in Nuuk. It was an association of Greenland's municipalities, led by Enok Sandgreen.
The aim of the organisation was to facilitate cooperation among all five municipalities of Greenland:
Avannaata
Avannaata (, da, Det Nordlige, lit=The Northern) is a municipality of Greenland created on 1 January 2018 from the bulk of the former Qaasuitsup municipality. It encompasses an area of 522,700 km2 and has 10,726 inhabitants.
Geography
In ...
,
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
...
,
Qeqertalik
Qeqertalik (, da, Den Ene med Øerne, lit=The One with Islands) is a municipality of Greenland created in 2018 from four southern regions of the former Qaasuitsup Municipality.
Geography
Qeqertalik Municipality is flanked in the south by the ...
,
Qeqqata
Qeqqata (, da, Centrum, lit=Centre) is a municipality in western Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. The municipality was named after its location in the central-western part of the country. Its population is 9,378 as of January 2020. Th ...
, and Sermersooq. However, Sermersooq and Qeqertalik both withdrew and KANUKOKA was dissolved as of Tuesday, 31 July 2018. The organisation ran the municipal elections every four years, with the last election taking place in 2016. All municipal authorities in Greenland were members of the organisation up until its 2018 dissolution.
The association was overseen by
Maliina Abelsen
Maliina Abelsen was the General Manager for Arctic Winter Games 2016 and is a former Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), holding the position of the Minister for Finance in the Government of Greenland ( kl, Naala ...
, the Minister for Social Affairs in the Government of Greenland.
Economy
![Air Greenland headquarters, Nuuk (Quintin Soloviev)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Air_Greenland_headquarters%2C_Nuuk_%28Quintin_Soloviev%29.png)
Although only a small town, Nuuk has developed trade, business, shipping and other industries. It began as a small fishing settlement with a harbor, but as the economy developed rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, the fishing industry in the capital declined. The port is nevertheless still home to almost half of Greenland's fishing fleet. The local
Royal Greenland
Royal Greenland A/S is a fishing company in Greenland, spun off from Kalaallit Niuerfiat in 1990 but still wholly owned by the Government of Greenland. The company operates in a number of towns and settlements in Greenland, with 20 fish processi ...
processing plant absorbs landed seafood amounting to over DKK 50 million (US$7 million) per annum, mainly (80%)
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
, but also
cod
Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...
,
lumpfish and
halibut
Halibut is the common name for three flatfish in the genera '' Hippoglossus'' and ''Reinhardtius'' from the family of right-eye flounders and, in some regions, and less commonly, other species of large flatfish.
The word is derived from ''h ...
.
Seafood, including seal, is also sold in abundance in Nuuk's fish markets, the largest being
Kalaaliaraq Market
Kalaaliaraq Market ( da, Brædtet) is a fresh food market in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It is located in the Old Nuuk neighborhood, approximately to the southeast of the Nuuk Cathedral, and its name means "''The little Greenlander''" in the G ...
. Minerals including
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
and
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
have contributed to the development of Nuuk's economy.
The city, like much of Greenland, is heavily dependent upon Danish investment and relies on Denmark for block funding.
Energy
All of Greenland's electricity is supplied by the government-owned company
Nukissiorfiit
Nukissiorfiit is a government-owned Greenland energy company. Nukissiorfiit means "where energies are created". The company supplies most of Greenland with electricity, water and heat. Most of the electricity is produced by hydro power such as the ...
, which has a
monopoly
A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situati ...
on the electricity in Greenland. Since 1993, Nuuk has received its electric power mainly from
Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant
The Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant is the first and largest hydroelectric power plant in Greenland. It was built by Nuuk-Kraft and it is operated by Nukissiorfiit, Greenland's national energy company.
In 1984–85, Greenland's energy authori ...
by way of a 132 kV powerline crossing
Ameralik fjord over a distance of , the world's longest free span.
Education
![Ilisimatusarfik-university-of-greenland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Ilisimatusarfik-university-of-greenland.jpg)
Nuuk has several educational institutions of higher learning. The
University of Greenland
The University of Greenland ( kl, Ilisimatusarfik Kalaallit Nunaat; da, Grønlands Universitet) is Greenland's only university. It is in the capital city of Nuuk. Most courses are taught in Danish, a few in Greenlandic and classes by exchange le ...
(Ilisimatusarfik), the only university in Greenland, is in Nuuk. The university was founded in 1987 and expanded in 2007 with the new building, ''Ilimmarfik'', housing departments of journalism, management and economics, language, literature and media, cultural and social history, theology and religion and social work. Nuuk is also home to the Department of Learning (Ilinniarfissuaq), the oldest educational facility in Greenland, in the old colonial part of Nuuk (''Nuutoqaq'': Old Nuuk). Other notable educational institutions include the Department of Nursing and Health Science, Nuuk Technical College and the Iron & Metal School.
Healthcare
The city is served by
Queen Ingrid's Hospital
Queen Ingrid's Hospital ( kl, Dronning Ingridip Napparsimmavissua) is a hospital in Nuuk, Greenland. The hospital not only serves as the main hospital for the municipality but is the central hospital in all of Greenland. The hospital has 185 beds ...
. The hospital not only serves as the main hospital for the municipality but is the central hospital in all of Greenland. The hospital has 185 beds.
Tourism
The
Nuuk Tourist Office
Nuuk Tourist Office is a landmark in Nuuk, Greenland, built in 1992 to house the headquarters of the new National Tourist Board of Greenland. It was built to not only provide information to tourists but as an attraction, with a fake Christmas tre ...
was built in 1992 to house the headquarters of the new National Tourist Board of Greenland.
Shopping
Shops in Nuuk offer local art and craftwork. In July 2012, Greenland's first shopping centre,
Nuuk Center
Nuuk Center, also shortened NC, is a shopping mall located in Nuuk, Greenland. The mall, which is the first shopping mall in Greenland, was inaugurated on July 27, 2012. Located next door to the Katuaq Culture Centre, the mall is focused on offe ...
''(NC)'', opened. The centre has Greenland's first underground parking. Several supermarkets exist, such as Nuuk Center,
Pisiffik
Pisiffik A/S is a chain of Greenlandic stores. The company is the largest privately owned commercial company in Greenland, and is a subsidiary jointly owned by NorgesGruppen, the Norwegian grocery wholesaling group, the Danish investment company K ...
,
Brugseni
Brugseni or Brugsen is a Greenlandic supermarket chain ( Kalaallisut: '' AmbA''), which was founded in 1991 as a union of separate cooperatives dating back to 1963.
History and overview
The earlier cooperatives, but not the present company, were ...
, and
Spar
SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...
.
Transportation
Airport
Nuuk has an international airport to the northeast of the town centre. Built in 1979, it is a hub for
Air Greenland
Air Greenland A/S (formerly named Grønlandsfly), also known as Greenlandair, is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, owned by the Greenlandic Government. It operates a fleet of 32 aircraft, including 1 airliner used for transatlantic and cha ...
, which is also headquartered in Nuuk and operates its technical base at the airport. There are flights inside Greenland and to Iceland. A decision has been made to extend the runway to allow for flights to European destinations, such as Denmark.
Sea
As a result of the high cost of flying goods to Greenland, Nuuk and other towns in Greenland are connected to Denmark by cargo vessels which sail mainly from
Aalborg
Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...
during the warmer months after the winter ice has melted. They bring clothing, flour, medicine, timber and machinery and return with deep-frozen shrimp and fish.
For most of the year, Nuuk is served twice-weekly by the coastal ferry of 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 ...
, which links the communities of the western coast.
Roadways
![Nuuk bus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Nuuk_bus.jpg)
The majority of buses and cars owned in Greenland operate in Nuuk. There are no roads connecting Nuuk with other areas of Greenland. The main street in Nuuk is
Aqqusinersuaq, with a number of shops and the 140-room
Hotel Hans Egede.
Since 2009, the city bus service
Nuup Bussii
Nuup Bussii A/S is a bus company in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, providing public transport services for the city. As of 2014 Nuup Bussii has 31 employees, operating 16 buses with a distinct yellow color, as well as five other small vehicles.
...
provides city transport services in Nuuk for 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, linking the town centre with the airport, the outlying districts and neighborhoods of
Nuussuaq
Nuussuaq (old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq''), formerly Kraulshavn, is a settlement in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is the only mainland settlement in the Upernavik Archipelago, located near the western tip of the Nuussuaq Penin ...
,
Qinngorput
Qinngorput is a district of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It is located near to the east-northeast of Nuuk Centrum, south of Nuuk Airport, approximately outside of the city centre.
History
The Qinngorput area was a popular camping and huntin ...
, as well as
Qernertunnguit
Qernertunnguit is a neighborhood of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It is part of the Quassussuup Tungaa district, located in the northwestern part of the town, facing the Nuup Kangerlua fjord.
Transport
Nuup Bussii provides bus services linki ...
in
Quassussuup Tungaa
Quassussuup Tungaa is a district of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Together with the Qernertunnguit neighborhood, it is located in the northwestern part of the town, facing the Nuup Kangerlua fjord.
Transport
Nuup Bussii provides bus services ...
. In 2012, the buses transported more than 2 million passengers around the city of Nuuk.
Cityscape
Historical buildings
![Tuapannguit buildings, Nuuk, Greenland (Quintin Soloviev)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Tuapannguit_buildings%2C_Nuuk%2C_Greenland_%28Quintin_Soloviev%29.png)
;Hans Egede's House
Hans Egede's House, built in 1721 by the Norwegian missionary Hans Egede, is the oldest building in Greenland. Standing close to the harbour among other old houses, it is now used for government receptions.
![Annaassisitta-Oqaluffia-old-nuuk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Annaassisitta-Oqaluffia-old-nuuk.jpg)
;Nuuk Cathedral
The Church of Our Saviour of the
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
diocese of Greenland
The Bishop of Greenland is a diocesan bishop of the Church of Denmark, and the leader of the Church of Greenland, which is an episcopal church in the Lutheran tradition.
History
Historically (before the Reformation) the Bishop of Greenland was kn ...
was built in 1849, and the tower was added in 1884. The red building with a clock tower and steeple is a prominent site on the landscape. The church received the status of
Nuuk Cathedral
Nuuk Cathedral ( kl, Annaassisitta Oqaluffia) or Church of Our Saviour ( da, Vor Frelser Kirke) is a wooden Lutheran cathedral in the Old Nuuk neighborhood of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It was established in 1849. The red building with its spi ...
in 1994, when the first bishop was Kristian Mørk, followed in 1995 by Sofie Petersen, a native of Greenland and the second woman in Denmark to become a bishop.
The
Herrnhut House was the centre of the
Moravian mission of
New Herrnhut. Other landmarks include the
Hans Egede Church and the
Statue of Hans Egede.
;National Museum
Greenland National Museum
The Greenland National Museum ( kl, Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu) is located in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It was one of the first museums established in Greenland, inaugurated in the mid-1960s. The museum has many artefacts rela ...
is in Nuuk and was one of the first museums established in Greenland, inaugurated in the mid-1960s. The museum has many artifacts and exhibits related to Greenland's archaeology, history, art, and handicrafts, and contains the
Qilakitsoq
Qilakitsoq is an abandoned settlement and an important archaeological site in Greenland. It became known as the discovery location of eight mummified corpses from the Thule period. The Inuit mummies of Qilakitsoq offer important insights in ...
mummies.
Cultural
![The Nuuk Art Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/The_Nuuk_Art_Museum.jpg)
Katuaq is a
cultural centre
A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run.
Asia
* Cen ...
used for concerts, films, art exhibitions, and conferences. It was designed by
Schmidt Hammer Lassen and inaugurated on 15 February 1997. Katuaq contains two
auditoria
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...
, the larger seating 1,008 people and the smaller, 508. The complex also contains an art school, library, meeting facilities, administrative offices and a café.
The Nuuk Art Museum is the only private art and crafts museum in Greenland.
The museum contains a notable collection of local paintings, watercolours, drawings, and graphics, some by Andy Warhol; and figures in soapstone, ivory, and wood, with many items collected by archaeologists.
Educational
Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland, is in Nuuk and is the national university of Greenland. Most courses are taught in
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
, although a few are in Kalaallisut as well. , the university had approximately 150 students (almost all Greenlanders), around 14 academic staff, and five administrators.
[. "ca. 150 studenter; 14 lærere foruden rektor samt 5 teknisk-administrativt ansatte."] Its library holds approximately 30,000 volumes.
The
National Library of Greenland in Nuuk is the largest reference library in the country, devoted to the preservation of Greenland's cultural heritage and history.
The library holdings are split between the public library in the town centre and Ilimmarfik, the campus of the University of Greenland. As of 1 January 2008, there are 83,324 items in the library database at Ilimmarfik.
Sports
![Nuuk Teletaarnet](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Nuuk_Teletaarnet.jpg)
Nuuk's sports clubs include
Nuuk IL (established in 1934),
B-67
Boldklubben af 1967 (also known as B-67 or B-67 Nuuk) is a sports club from Greenland based in Nuuk. They compete in football, badminton and handball. In 2016 they won the Coca Cola GM by defeating Nagdlunguaq-48 3–1. In the 1980s they wer ...
, and
GSS Nuuk. Nuuk Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, used mostly for
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
games. The stadium has a capacity of 2,000.
The stadium can also be used as an entertainment venue: the Scottish rock band
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
performed at the venue. Nuuk also has the
Godthåbhallen, a handball stadium. It is the home of the
Greenland men's national handball team and has a capacity of 1,000.
There is a hill for alpine skiing with an altitude difference around 300 meters on the mountain Lille Malene,
with the valley station close to the airport terminal.
There is also the Nuuk golf course, the only arctic golf course in the world.
Nuuk Golf Course
Greenlandtoday.
Notable people
* Maliina Abelsen
Maliina Abelsen was the General Manager for Arctic Winter Games 2016 and is a former Greenlandic politician and MP for the party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), holding the position of the Minister for Finance in the Government of Greenland ( kl, Naala ...
, Greenland's Minister for Social Affairs
* Agnethe Davidsen
Agnethe Davidsen (29 August 1947 Nuuk – 25 November 2007, Nuuk) was a judge who was the first female government minister in Greenland and only the second female mayor of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where she was mayor for more than 14 years ...
, Greenland's first female government minister
* Jesper Grønkjær
Jesper Grønkjær (; born 12 August 1977) is a Danish former professional footballer.
A pacey winger, Grønkjær played primarily on the right or left wing, or as a second striker. He played a total 400 league games for a number of European cl ...
, footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
* Angaangaq Lyberth, political activist
* Bo Lidegaard, historian
* Nils Nielsen
Nils Herbert Kromann Nielsen (born 3 November 1971) is a Danish football manager. Since 14 November 2018, he is the head coach of the Switzerland women's national football team.
Nielsen is best known for his tenure with the Denmark women's natio ...
, Football manager. Head coach for the Switzerland national women's team.
* Minik Thorleif Rosing, geologist.
International relations
Twin towns and sister cities
Nuuk is twinned with:
See also
* Coat of Arms of Nuuk
The coat of arms of Nuuk is a design of mostly blue and white, with a red building in the center known as the "red siminar", the teachers' training college of Nuuk, Greenland, and a yellow paddle floating in the water in front of it. There are thre ...
* Sisimiut
Sisimiut (), formerly known as Holsteinsborg, is the capital and largest city of the Qeqqata municipality, the second-largest city in Greenland, and the largest Arctic city in North America.The term 'city' is loosely used to describe any popula ...
, the second-largest city in Greenland
References
External links
*. Visitgreenland.com.
{{Authority control
Capitals in North America
Cities and towns in Greenland
Populated coastal places in Greenland
Populated places established in 1728
Populated places in Greenland
Port cities and towns in Greenland
Capitals in Europe
1728 establishments in North America
Road-inaccessible communities of North America