Ilulissat
| Ilulissat Jakobshavn |
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| — City — | |
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| Motto: The Town by the Ice-fjord | |
 Ilulissat
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| Coordinates: 69°13′N 51°06′W / 69.217°N 51.100°WCoordinates: 69°13′N 51°06′W / 69.217°N 51.100°W | |
| State |  Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country |  Greenland |
| Municipality |  Qaasuitsup |
| Founded | January 12, 1742 |
| Incorporated | 1741 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jess Svane (Siumut) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • City | 4,606 (3rd Largest in Greenland) |
| • Metro | 5,018 (Including the 4 villages Saqqaq, Qeqertaq, Oqaatsut and Ilimanaq) |
| Time zone | Western Greenland Standard (UTC-3) |
| • Summer (DST) | Western Greenland Daylight (UTC-2) |
| Postal code | 3952 |
Ilulissat,[1] formerly Jakobshavn, is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately 200 km (120 mi) north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010,[2] it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut.
In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Kalaallisut word "Icebergs".[3] The picturesque Ilulissat Icefjord has made Ilulissat Greenland's most popular tourist destination[4] and tourism is now the town's principal industry.
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History
The town was established as a trading post by Jacob Severin's company in 1741[5] and named in his honor.[6] The name was sometimes anglicized as Jacobshaven.[7] The Zion Church (Zions Kirke) constructed in the late 18th century was the largest man-made work on Greenland in its time.[6]
Between 27 and 29 May 2008, the town was the site of the Arctic Ocean Conference hosted by Per Stig Møller, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Hans Enoksen, the Greenlandic Prime Minister.[8] The joint meeting between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States was held to discuss key issues relating to territorial claims in the Arctic (particularly Hans Island and Arktika 2007) and Arctic shrinkage produced by climate change.[9]
The Ilulissat Declaration arose from the conference. It stated that the law of the sea provided for important rights and obligations concerning the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf, the protection of the marine environment, including ice-covered areas, freedom of navigation, marine scientific research, and other uses of the sea. It also said that it remained committed to this legal framework and to the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims.
With this existing legal framework, providing a solid foundation for responsible management, there was no need to develop a new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean. The states involved, would keep abreast of the developments in the Arctic Ocean and continue to implement appropriate measures.[10]
Geography and environment
The Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenlandic: Ilulissat Kangerlua) southeast of Ilulissat was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.[11]
Population
With 4,546 inhabitants in 2010,[12] Ilulissat is the largest town in the Qaasuitsup municipality. The population increased over 8% relative to 1990 levels but has remained steady since around 2000.[12]
Transport
- Air
Ilulissat Airport is located 2.8 km (1.7 mi) to the northeast of the town center and was built in 1983.[13] It serves Ilulissat with connections to towns in northwestern and midwestern Greenland via Air Greenland. Service to Reykjavík, Iceland, began in April 2011 via Air Iceland.
- Sea
The Arctic Umiaq ferry links Ilulissat with Sisimiut, Nuuk, and other towns and settlements on the western and southwestern coast of Greenland.
Sports
The town is home to Nagdlunguaq-48 who play in the Coca Cola GM, Greenland's top soccer league. Nagdlunguaq-48, who play all their league games in Nuuk, have won the championship ten times.
Ilulissat in Pictures
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Public housing
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Hotel Arctic, Ilulissat
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Drank nettle for boiling blubber in Ilulissat, Greenland
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Knud Rasmussen's birthplace in Ilulissat, Greenland; Knud Rasmussen's Museum
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Kayaking in Ilulissat
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Inuit Kajak at Ilulissat
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Dog sled sign in Ilulissat
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Fisherman in Ilulissat
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Cruise ship at Ilulissat port
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Toddlers with their teacher
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Ilulissat, old part of the city with icebergs from the Ilulissat Icefjord in the background
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Sailing in Ilulissat Icefjord
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The soccer field
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Ilulissat Airport from the south.
Notable people
- Knud Rasmussen (1879–1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist, referred to as the "father of Eskimology".[14] Born in Ilulissat,[15] Rasmussen was the first man to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.[16]
- 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 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. Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in Peary Land is named after him.[17]
- 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.
- Ricky Enø Jørgensen, racing cyclist
References
- ^ The name is sometimes spelled Ilulisat.
- ^ Statistics Greenland, Greenland in Figures, 2010
- ^ "Ilulissat". Qaasuitsup Municipality. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Ilulissat Icefjord". Qaasuitsup Municipality. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ Marquardt, Ole. "Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy" in The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Empire?. Verlag Ludwig (Kiel), 2006.
- ^ a b Kjærgaard, Kathrine (2010). "Grønland som del af den bibelske fortælling – en 1700-tals studie" ["Greenland as Part of the Biblical Narrative – a Study of the 18th Century"]. Kirkehistoriske Samlinger, 51-130. (Danish)
- ^ i.a., Lieber, Francis & al. Encyclopædia Americana: A Popular Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature, History, Politics and Biography. "Greenland". B.B. Mussey & Co., 1854.
- ^ Arctic Council (2008-05-26). "Conference on the Arctic Ocean". arctic-council.org. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ^ "Greenland hosts Arctic sovereignty talks". Reuters. 27 May 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "Ilulissat Declaration". Government of Greenland. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ "UNESCO Listing". Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ a b Statistics Greenland.
- ^ Air Greenland, History
- ^ Jean Malaurie, 1982.
- ^ Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen, biography by Sam Alley. Minnesota State University.
- ^ Elizabeth Cruwys, 2003.
- ^ Famous sons
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