Uummannaq is a town in the

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 ...

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 is t ...

. 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, the town is a hunting and fishing base, with a canning factory and a marble quarry. In 1932, the Universal Greenland-Filmexpedition with director Arnold Fanck released the film '' S.O.S. Eisberg'' near Uummannaq.

Geography

Uummannaq is located 590 kilometres north 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 ...

Uummannaq Island Uummannaq Island ( kl, Uummannap qeqertaa) is a small (12 km2) island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. Located in the south-central part of the Uummannaq Fjord, it is home to the most prominent mountain on the Arctic co ...

located in the south-central arm of the

Uummannaq Fjord Uummannaq Fjord is a large fjord system in the northern part of western Greenland, the largest after Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the Baffin Bay in the nort ...

. ''Uummannaq'' is also the general name given to the series of inlets north of the promontory at

Niaqornat Niaqornat (Kalaallisut: "head-shaped") is a settlement in the Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. The settlement is located on the northern coast of the Nuussuaq Peninsula, with a wide view over Uummannaq Fjord.Nuussuaq, Saga Map, Ta ...

on the

Nuussuaq Peninsula Nuussuaq Peninsula (, old spelling: ''Nûgssuaq'') is a large (180x48 km) peninsula in western Greenland. Geography The waters around the peninsula are that of Baffin Bay. To the south and southwest the peninsula is bounded by Disko Bay, ...

Uummannaq Mountain

The island is also home to Uummannaq Mountain, rising very sharply to the height of 1170m. Climbing it requires technical skills.

Transport

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 ...

operates helicopter services to

Qaarsut Airport Qaarsut Airport ( kl, Mittarfik Qaarsut) is an airport in Qaarsut, a settlement on the Nuussuaq Peninsula in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. It is a primary airport with a gravel runway, capable of serving STOL aircraft of Air ...

from

Uummannaq Heliport Uummannaq Heliport is a heliport in Uummannaq, a town located on Uummannaq Island in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. There are no facilities in the heliport. Airlines and destinations Air Greenland operates government contr ...

. The neighbouring villages in the Uummannaq area are served by district cargo helicopters. In summer months,

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 ...

operates its 'bygdeservice' with sailings by small ships to its neighbouring villages, including a service to Qaarsut.

Climate

Uummannaq has a

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 ...

with short, cold summers and long, very cold winters.

Culture

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 ...

and Greenlandic children are told that

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

lives in Spraglebugten Bay in the west of the island. A turf hut (''Santa's Castle'') was built there for a Danish television programme and remains Santa's home in the popular imagination. Scottish singer

KT Tunstall Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall (born 23 June 1975) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. She first gained attention with a 2004 live solo performance of her song " Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. Th ...

's third album ''

Tiger Suit ''Tiger Suit'' is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released by Relentless Records in Ireland on 24 September 2010, in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States and Canada on 5 Octob ...

'' features the track "Uummannaq Song", which was inspired by her trip to the town in September 2008 with Cape Farewell. Uummannaq is home to

Uummannaq Music 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, ...

– the world's northernmost music platform on sea ice.

Notable People

Ole Jørgen Hammeken Ole Jørgen Hammeken − born in 1956 in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, of Maritha and Motzflot Hammeken − is a Greenlandic explorer and actor, based in Denmark and Russia. Career Polar exploration He participated in 2007 in the 'Global W ...

, polar explorer *

Siissisoq Siissisoq was a Greenlandic heavy metal band, formed in 1994. The name Siissisoq means ''Rhino'' in Greenlandic. The band's lyrics are sung in Greenlandic and their songs are mainly named after African animals. During their original incarnatio ...

, a Greenlandic rock band * Nukaaka Coster-Waldau, actress, singer, former Miss Greenland and wife of Danish actor

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Nikolaj William Coster-Waldau (; born 27 July 1970) is a Danish actor and producer. He graduated from the Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen in 1993, and had his breakthrough role in Denmark with the film '' Nightwatch'' (19 ...

Aleqa Hammond Aleqa Hammond (born 23 September 1965) is a Greenlandic politician and former member of the Danish Folketing (parliament). Formerly the leader of the Siumut party, she became Greenland's first female prime minister after her party emerged as the l ...

, former

Prime Minister of Greenland The prime minister of Greenland ( kl, Naalakkersuisut siulittaasuat, ; da, Landsstyreformand), officially the premier of Greenland,Pipaluk Freuchen Pipaluk Freuchen (15 March 1918 – 8 April 1999) was a Danish-Greenlandic-Swedish writer, best known for her children's book ''Ivik, den faderløse,'' which is also known by its English title ''Eskimo Boy.'' She was also the daughter of the exp ...

, children's writer

Population

Uummannaq is the second-largest town in the Avannaata municipality. It had 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, which was a decrease of more than 12% relative to the population in 2000.

References

External links

*
Villages in the Uummannaq area

Photos of Uummannaq

About filming in Greenland in 1933
{{Authority control Populated places in Greenland Populated places of Arctic Greenland Populated places established in 1763 Avannaata 1763 establishments in North America 18th-century establishments in Greenland