Ilulissat
| Ilulissat Jakobshavn |
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| Motto: The town by the Ice-fjord | |
  Ilulissat
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| Coordinates: | |
| Federacy | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Country |  Greenland |
| Municipality | Qaasuitsup |
| Population (2010) | |
| - Total | 4,546 |
| Time zone | UTC-03 |
| Postal code | 3952 |
Ilulissat (Danish: Jakobshavn from founder Jakob Severin) 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,[1] it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut.
In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for "the icebergs".[2] 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.
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Ilulissat Icefjord
Ilulissat Icefjord (Kalaallisut: Ilulissat Kangerlua), a fjord southeast of Ilulissat, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
Transport
Air
Ilulissat Airport serves Ilulissat, with connections to towns in northwestern and western Greenland.
Sea
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 Rasmussen (1879–1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist, referred to as the "father of Eskimology"[3]. Born in Ilulissat,[4] Rasmussen was the first man to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.[5]
- 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 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.[6]
- 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.
Population
With 4,546 inhabitants as of 2010, Ilulissat is the largest town in the Qaasuitsup municipality.[7] The population increased over 8 percent relative to 1990 levels, but levelled off at around the current level in the 2000s.
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.[8]. 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.[9]
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.[10]
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.
Ilulissat in Pictures
 The soccer field |
 The cemetery |
 Schoolchildren & teacher |
 Houses |
 Sleddogs in the outskirts |
 Public housing |
 Sailing in Ilulissat Icefjord |
 Youth hostel |
References
- ↑ Statistics Greenland, Greenland in Figures, 2010
- ↑ "Ilulissat" (in Danish). Qaasuitsup Municipality. http://www.qaasuitsup.gl/da-DK/Om-kommunen/Byer-og-bygder/Ilulissat. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ↑ Jean Malaurie, 1982.
- ↑ Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen, biography by Sam Alley. Minnesota State University.
- ↑ Elizabeth Cruwys, 2003.
- ↑ Famous sons
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Statistics Greenland
- ↑ Arctic Council (2008-05-26). "Conference on the Arctic Ocean". arctic-council.org. http://arctic-council.org/article/2008/5/conference_on_the_arctic_ocean. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ↑ Embassy (2008-05-28). "Denmark Hosts the Five Nations: Arctic Ocean Conference in Greenland". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. http://www.ambwashington.um.dk/en/menu/TheEmbassy/News/News+2008/DenmarkHoststheFiveNationsArcticOceanConferenceInGreenland.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
- ↑ Boswell, Randy (2008-05-28). "Conference could mark start of Arctic power struggle". canada.com. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=d0135cd8-c15a-48a3-9579-0df5f8e185c1. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
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