Sarfannguit (old spelling: ''Sarfannguaq / Sarfánguaq'') is a settlement in 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 ...

municipality in central-western

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 ...

. Its population was 96 in 2020. The settlement was founded in 1843.Qeqqata Municipality
The town is located within the Aasivissuit – Nipisat

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2018 for its outstanding archeological sites representing the human occupation of Greenland for over 4000 years.

Geography

Sarfannguit is located on the eastern promontory of an island of the same name, approximately east of

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 ...

, facing the mainland of Greenland across the Imartuninnguaq Strait, at this point only wide. The strait opens into the

Amerloq Fjord Amerloq Fjord is a long fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. The fjord empties into the Davis Strait just south of Sisimiut, whose former Inuit name was also "Amerloq". History The Amerloq Fjord then known as Rammel's Fjord ...

in the west, which then heads to the west, emptying into

Davis Strait Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is Baffin Bay. The strait was named for the English explorer John ...

south of Sisimiut.

Ikertooq Fjord Ikertooq Fjord (old spelling: ''Ikertôq'') is a long fjord in the Qeqqata municipality in western Greenland. The fjord empties into Davis Strait south of Sisimiut. Geography The upper part of the fjord, a confluence of three tributary inle ...

bounds the island from the south.

Economy

The first

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...

in Greenland was constructed in Sarfannguit in 2010. The wind turbine is tall, providing 6,000 liter of petrol worth of savings per month for the village.

Transport

Air

The closest aerodrome is

Sisimiut Airport Sisimiut Airport ( kl, Mittarfik Sisimiut) is an airport located northwest of Sisimiut, a town in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. The airport has a single runway designated 13/31 which measures , built on the northern shor ...

in Sisimiut, with connections to Ilulissat,

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 ...

Maniitsoq Maniitsoq (), formerly Sukkertoppen, is a town in Maniitsoq Island, western Greenland located in the Qeqqata municipality. With 2,534 inhabitants , it is the sixth-largest town in Greenland. History Archaeological finds indicate that the are ...

, and

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 ...

operated by

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 ch ...

.Air Greenland, Departures and Arrivals
There are no

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

services to coastal settlements of Davis Strait in the Qeqqata and

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 ...

municipalities. The AIP references a 20m round helipad (ICAO code: BGSA) with gravel surface at Sarfannguit.

Sea

Royal Arctic Line Royal Arctic Line A/S (RAL) or Royal Arctic is a seaborne freight company in Greenland, wholly owned by the Government of Greenland. It was formed in 1993, and is headquartered in Nuuk. History Royal Arctic Line A/S was spun off as a company se ...

provides weekly ferry services to

Itilleq Itilleq (old spelling: ''Itivdleq'') is a settlement in the Qeqqata municipality in central-western Greenland. It is located on a small island around 1 km from the mainland, 45 km south of Sisimiut and 2 km north of the Arctic Circ ...

and Sisimiut, 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 ...

, with connections to Ilulissat and

Aasiaat Aasiaat () or Ausiait, formerly Egedesminde, is a town in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland, located in the heart of Aasiaat Archipelago at the southern end of Disko Bay. With a population of 3,069 as of 2020, it is Greenland's fo ...

in the Disko Bay region, and to coastal towns in southwestern and southern Greenland.AUL, Timetable 2009
/ref>

Land

There is no road reaching Sarfannguit, but it would be connected to the proposed Sisimiut-Kangerlussuaq road, which has been discussed for several years, but not built. Snowmobiles are used in winter to connect to Sisimiut, roughly 50 km away.

Population

The population of Sarfannguit has been stable in the last four decades. In 1986, the leading cause of death for young people in this city was suicide.

References

{{Settlements in Greenland Davis Strait Populated places in Greenland Populated places of Arctic Greenland Populated places established in 1843 Qeqqata 1843 establishments in Greenland