Geography
Greenland is located in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Canada and Norway. The country has approx. 56,000 inhabitants of which about 15,000 live in the capital city, Nuuk, where the country’s central administration is also located.
Qaasuitsup Municipality is located in north-western Greenland. The municipality stretches from slightly north of the polar circle in the south to approx. 81 degrees north. In terms of size, it is the world’s largest municipality with a coastline of more than 1600 km (990 miles) and an area of more than 660,000 sq. km. (255,000 sq. m.). Towards the east, it is bordered by the inland ice and towards the west, by Baffin Bay. From the inland ice and out to the sea, the ice-free land areas are characterised by rugged mountain landscapes traversed by fjords.
Many of the fjords have glaciers at the bottom from which large amounts of ice calve out into the sea. For example, the glacier at the bottom of Ilulissat Icefjord is the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. It is estimated that in Baffin Bay, more than 20,000 icebergs are calved annually of which the biggest have a diameter in excess of one kilometre.
Ongoing mineral resource activities in Qaasuitsup Municipality
Today, some of the world’s largest oil companies have exploration and exploitation permits in the waters off Qaasuitsup Municipality. In summer 2010, the prospect drilling for hydrocarbon will be underway in the waters off Disko Bay. The next bidding round, which includes the northern part of Baffin Bay and Melville Bay, will take place in 2010.
It is expected that the lead and zinc mine near Mamorilik will reopen in the course of 2010. A large number of mineral companies also have licences in areas across the entire municipality, from north of Qaanaaq to the south of Disko Bay.
Political conditions
Politically, Greenland is very stable with a government elected according to applicable international democratic principles. The country gained self-government from Denmark in 2009. In so doing, the responsibility for a number of issues, including mineral resources and the substratum, was transferred from the Danish to the Greenlandic administration. Several multi-national mineral companies have shown interest in making large investments in Greenland based on, among other things, the country’s political stability.
Climate
The municipality has a low arctic climate in the south and a high arctic climate in the north. The average temperature for the summer months varies between +5 and +70C (41 and 460F) and for the winter months, between -24 and -160C (-11 and 30F) in the north and south, respectively. Most of the precipitation between September and April falls as snow. There is total darkness in the winter months and midnight sun in the summer. Large parts of the municipality’s sea area are covered by ice in the winter months and drifting ice can occur throughout the year.
Flora and fauna
The ice-free areas are sparsely covered with low arctic flora, which provides the basis for life for, e.g. musk ox and reindeer. The nutrient-rich sea forms the habitat for abundant animal life. Among marine mammals; seals, walrus, whales as well as polar bears exist across most of the municipality. There are large occurrences of fish and shellfish in the sea such as shrimps, crabs, cod and halibut, which among other things provide the basis for rich bird life.
Protected areas
In 2004, Ilulissat Icefjord achieved status as a World Heritage area. In addition, a large part of the coast in Melville Bay has been zoned as a national park and the southern part of Disko Bay is protected due to its importance to bird life.
Towns
Approx. 18,000 inhabitants live in the municipality, spread between 8 towns and 32 settlements. The municipality’s biggest town is Ilulissat, with approx. 4,500 inhabitants. The town is located at the base of Disko Bay, close to the mouth of Ilulissat Icefjord. The municipality’s main administration is located in Ilulissat. The town is the starting point for fishing of especially shrimp and halibut. Ilulissat is also the centre for the majority of tourism in the municipality due to, among other things, the town's good infrastructure as well as close vicinity to the World Heritage area, Ilulissat Icefjord.
Aasiaat is located just south of Disko Bay and has a population of slightly more than 3,000 people. The town’s largest workplace is the fish factory where shrimps are processed. Moreover, the town is home to one of Greenland's three upper secondary schools.
Uummannaq has approx. 1500 inhabitants. The town is located on a small island north of Disko Bay. Surrounded by spectacular nature, the town has been well-frequented by tourists for many years. There has also been some mineral extraction in the area and it is expected that the lead and zinc mine near Mamorilik at the base of Uummannaq fjord will reopen in 2010.
Upernavik has approx. 1200 inhabitants. The town had a runway built for fixed-wing aircraft in 2000. This has opened up the town and district for tourism and has thus also given a significant improvement of the town's facilities. In recent years, there has been strong growth in fishing in the municipality, which in so doing has begun to replace hunting as the most important industry.
Among the municipality’s other towns are Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq, Kangaasiaq and Qaanaaq, all of which have between 600 and 1200 inhabitants. In addition to the 8 towns, there are 32 settlements in the municipality. In the northern part of the municipality is the American military base, Thule Air Base (in Greenlandic, “Pituffik”) where more than 500 people live and work.
Industry
The two most important industries in Qaasuitsup municipality are fishing and tourism. Fishing is primarily for shrimp, halibut, cod and crabs and is most intense in and around Disko Bay. In the municipality’s northern districts, the hunting of sea mammals such as seals, whales, walrus and polar bears is still an important industry.
The majority of tourism has its starting point in Ilulissat, but most of the municipality's towns have experienced an increase in tourism in recent years. To a great extent, the tourist industry is built on activities such as dog sledding, sailing, hiking and ski trips. Most tourists come in the spring and summer from March to August. In recent years, there has been strong growth in cruise ship tourism along the municipality’s coasts.
Basically all industries are represented in the municipality’s larger towns. Thus, there are local contracting companies, electricians, car repair workshops, carpentry companies and painting companies, etc.
Air transport
None of the municipality’s towns are connected by roads. All transport to and from, as well as internally in the municipality, occurs by planes and helicopters, which are operated by the national airline, Air Greenland. However, in the summer months there are direct flights between Ilulissat and Iceland with Air Iceland, from which there is connection to North America among others. There are runways for fixed-wing aircraft as well as jet fuel depots in Aasiaat, Ilulissat, Qaarsut (near Uummannaq), Upernavik, Qaanaaq and Thule Air Base. With the exception of Thule Air Base, none of the runways in the municipality are longer than 1020 m (3346 ft). There are daily departures between Ilulissat and Aasiaat to both Kangerlussuaq and Nuuk, from where there are weekly connections to Denmark and Iceland.
Harbours
Transatlantic wharfs have been built in Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Uummannaq and Upernavik. Through most of the year and several times a month, container ships from Nuuk or Aalborg dock at Aasiaat and Ilulissat. However, the exception is from January up to and including March where the ice situation can make navigation impossible.
Health services
There are hospitals with medical staff in all 8 towns in the municipality. However, none of these have specialist departments, which is why more complicated cases of illness are always sent to Nuuk or Denmark. The hospitals also function as pharmacies. No vaccinations are required for entry to Greenland. There are dental clinics in all larger towns in the municipality, but dentists are not necessarily present in all towns throughout the year.
Shops
All towns in the municipality have shops from which food and ordinary consumer goods are sold. In the larger towns it is possible to buy fresh meat and vegetables through the year whereas the supply of these goods varies more in the smaller towns. There are also more specialised shops in Ilulissat and Aasiaat.
Entertainment and leisure time options
The larger towns in the municipality have cultural offers such as libraries, museums, restaurants, sports clubs, discotheques and bars. There is the possibility of taking guided tours in the countryside, including tours by boat, dog sledge, kayak, ski, and helicopter and hiking tours in all the towns.
Water and waste
All towns in the municipality have fresh water supplies from nearby lakes. From here, the water is pumped up, cleaned and distributed through pipelines to the individual households, businesses and service stations. Waste is incinerated at the local incineration plant or is transported by ship to Denmark if the waste is assessed as being a threat to the local environment.
Educational system
All towns in the municipality have day-care institutions as well as schools with tuition up to and including 10th grade. There is also an upper secondary school in Aasiaat. Attending day-care institutions is paid for, whereas tuition at schools and the upper secondary school is free.
Postal service, banks and money
There are post offices in all towns in the municipality. In smaller towns that do not have a bank, the post office also functions as a bank and provides the possibility of withdrawing money. The local currency is Danish Kroner. Ordinary international payment cards can be used in the majority of shops, hotels and the like.
Languages
The language is Greenlandic. In the administration, Danish and English will generally also be spoken.
Communication
There are networks for mobile telephony in and around all towns in the municipality. There is also Internet access at the majority of larger hotels, in the administration and among the municipality’s businesses.