Sermersooq facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sermersooq
Sted med meget is (Danish)
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Municipality
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| Sermersooq Municipality Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq (Greenlandic) |
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Clockwise from top left: Nuuk, Kulusuk, Tasiilaq, Kangertittivaq
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Location of Sermersooq within Greenland
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| Sovereign state |  Kingdom of Denmark |
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| Autonomous country |  Greenland |
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| Established | 1 January 2009 | ||
| Municipal center | Nuuk | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 531,900 km2 (205,400 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 23,123 | ||
| • Density | 0.043472/km2 (0.112593/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC-03, UTC-01 | ||
| Calling code | +299 | ||
| ISO 3166 code | GL-SM | ||
| Website | sermersooq.gl | ||
Sermersooq (IPA: [sɜm.mɜs.sɔːq̚], Danish: Sted med meget is, lit. 'place of much ice') is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and it is the most populous municipality in the country, with 23,123 inhabitants as of January 2020.
Contents
Creation
The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:
- Ammassalik Municipality
- Ittoqqortoormiit Municipality
- Ivittuut Municipality
- Nuuk Municipality
- Paamiut Municipality
Administrative divisions
Ammassalik area
- Tasiilaq (Ammassalik)
- Kuummiit
- Kulusuk (Kap Dan)
- Tiniteqilaaq
- Sermiligaaq
- Isortoq
Ittoqqortoormiit area
- Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysund)
- Itterajivit
Ivittuut area
- Kangilinnguit (Grønnedal)
Nuuk area
- Nuuk (Godthåb)
- Kapisillit
- Qeqertarsuatsiaat (Fiskenæsset)
Paamiut area
- Paamiut (Frederikshåb)
- Arsuk
Geography
The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with an area of 531,900 km2 (205,367.7 sq mi). As of 2018, it is the largest municipality in the world by area, following the split of the former Qaasuitsup. As of January 2013 its population was 17,498. In the south, it is flanked by the Kujalleq municipality, with the border running alongside Alanngorsuaq Fjord. The waters flowing around the western coastline of the municipality are that of Labrador Sea, which to the north narrows down to form Davis Strait separating the island of Greenland from Baffin Island. In the southwest, Ikka Fjord is best known for its eponymous ikaite columns, of a scale unknown anywhere else.
In the northwest, the municipality is bordered by the Qeqqata municipality, and further north by the Qeqertalik and Avannaata municipalities. The latter two borders however run north–south through the center (45° West meridian) of the Greenland ice sheet (Greenlandic: Sermersuaq) − and as such are free of traffic. In the north the municipality is bordered by the Northeast Greenland National Park beyond Cape Biot, at the northern end of Fleming Fjord. In the east, near the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit, the municipal shores straddle the Kangertittivaq fjord, which opens to the cold Greenland Sea. The southeastern shores are bordered by the Anorituup Kangerlua fjord of the Irminger Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Transport
Sermersooq is one of two municipalities straddling the western and eastern sides of the island, but is the only municipality where settlements on both coasts are connected via scheduled flights from Nuuk Airport to Kulusuk Airport and Nerlerit Inaat Airport and reverse, operated year-round by Air Greenland. There are also local flights between Nuuk and Paamiut Airport on the west coast.
Language
Kalaallisut, the West Greenlandic dialect is spoken in the towns and settlements of the western coast. Danish is also in use in the bigger towns. Tunumiit oraasiat, the East Greenlandic dialect, is spoken on the eastern coast.
