Ilulissat

Ilulissat ( from founder Jakob Severin) is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 5,072, (2008)Ilulissat.gl it is the third largest settlement in Greenland after Nuuk and Sisimiut.

In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for "the icebergs". Ilulissat is Greenland's most popular tourist destination on account of its proximity to the picturesque Ilulissat Icefjord. Tourism is now the town's principal industry.

Transportation

Air Alpha Greenland is based in Odense, Denmark but uses Ilulissat Airport as a hub. Air Greenland, affiliated with the SAS Group, operates air services to Ilulissat. Albatros TravelGo2Greenland - A cooperation between Topas Adventure Travel, Albatros Travel and Greenland Travel also offers air services and cruises to Ilulissat. Air Iceland will begin operating air services between Ilulissat and Iceland in July 2009. Arctic Umiaq Line coastal ferry links Ilulissat with Sisimiut, Nuuk, and other towns and settlements on the western and southwestern coast of Greenland.

Notable residents

• Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen (1879-1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist, referred to as the "father of Eskimology"Jean Malaurie, 1982.. Born in Ilulissat,Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen, biography by Sam Alley. Minnesota State University. Rasmussen was the first man to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.Elizabeth Cruwys, 2003.
• Jørgen Brønlund (see also Jørgen Brønlund) (1877-1907), was also a polar explorer born in Ilulissat, He grew up with Rasmussen and accompanied him, along with Harald Moltke and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, on the The Danish Literary Expedition (1902-1904) to examine Inuit culture. In 1906 he joined Mylius-Erichsen and Peter Høegh Hagen on the Danmark-ekspeditionen to map the northernmost regions of Greenland. All three ultimately died during the expedition; Hagen on 10 November, Mylius-Erichsen on 25 November, and Brønlund in December. Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in Peary Land is named after him.Famous sons
• Jens Rosing (1925-2008), a Greenlandic artist notable for designing the coat of arms of Greenland, numerous Greenlandic postage stamps, as well as illustrated children's books and water colours − was born in Ilulissat.

Arctic Ocean Conference

The Arctic Ocean Conference was held in Ilulissat between 27 and 29 May 2008. It was hosted by Per Stig Møller, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hans Enoksen, the Greenlandic Prime Minister.. The joint meeting between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States was held to discuss key issues relating to the Arctic Ocean and climate change.

The Ilulissat Declaration arose from the conference. One of its stated aims was blockage of any "new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean". An additional pledge for the "the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims," was expected as the conference invitation originated in 2007 as a consequence of several jurisdictional disputes, including Hans Island and Arktika 2007.

Ilulissat Icefjord

The Ilulissat Icefjord (Ilulissat Kangerlua) runs west from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay close to Ilulissat town. At its eastern end is the Jakobshavn Isbræ glacier, the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of per day, resulting in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calved off and passing out of the fjord every year. Icebergs breaking from the glacier are often so large (up to a kilometer (3,300 ft) in height) that they are too tall to float down the fjord and lie stuck on the bottom of its shallower areas, sometimes for years, until they are broken up by the force of the glacier and icebergs further up the fjord. On breaking up the icebergs emerge into the open sea and initially travel north with ocean currents before turning south and running into the Atlantic Ocean. Larger icebergs typically do not melt until they reach 40-45 degrees north (further south than the United Kingdom and level with New York City).

The Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

Sports

The town is home to Nagdlunguaq-48 who play in the Coca Cola GM, Greenland's top football league. Nagdlunguaq-48, who play all their league games in Nuuk, have won the championship ten times.

References

• Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, Lonely Planet, ISBN 0-86442-686-0

External links

• Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (English)
• Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (Greenlandic)
• Official homepage of the Municipality of Ilulissat (Danish)
• Ilulissat tourist information site
• NASA study: Fastest Glacier in Greenland Doubles Speed
• Ilulissat Icefjord. Book edited by Ole Bennike, Naja Mikkelsen, Henrik Klinge Pedersen and Anker Weidick, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, 28 September, 2004, ISBN 87-7871-136-3

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