Uummannaq Fjord is a large
fjord system in the northern part of western
Greenland, the largest after
Kangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into the
Baffin Bay in the northwest.
Geography
With the exception of the southwestern
coast formed by the
Nuussuaq Peninsula, Uummannaq fjord has a developed coastline, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Qaraassap Imaa − a tributary fjord emptying into Ikerasak Fjord from the north, between Qaraasap Nunataa headland in the southeast, and
Drygalski Peninsula in the northwest.
Lille Gletscher flowing from the ice sheet empties into Qaraasaap Imaa.
Sermillip Kangerlua − a tributary fjord with several inlets of its own, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east, to the southeast of
Salliaruseq Island. From the south, it is bounded by Drygalski Peninsula. From the north, it is bounded by the
Itillarssuup Qaqaa peninsula.
Itillarsuup Kangerlua − a long tributary fjord, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east. From the southwest, it is bounded by the Itillarsuup Qaqaa peninsula. From the northeast, it abuts the inner envelope of the island of Greenland, with
Kangilleq and
Sermeq Sillarleq glaciers emptying into it. From the north, it is bounded by the long
Ukkusissat Peninsula.
Appat Island lies at the mouth of the fjord, separated from the Ukkusissat peninsula by the
Torsukattak Strait, an extension of Itillarsuup Kangerlua.
Perlerfiup Kangerlua − a long tributary fjord, emptying into the northeastern part of the Uummannaq Fjord. From the south it is bounded by the Ukkusissat Peninsula. From the north it is bounded by the
Perlerfiup Nunaa peninsula.
Islands
The following are the major islands of Uummannaq Fjord:[1]
Sheltered from the coastal winds by the high, glaciated mountains of the
Nuussuaq Peninsula, the area of Uummannaq Fjord is considered the sunniest spot in Greenland.[3] Favourable weather conditions, good
harbours, and proximity to the coastal route made the fjord system attractive to numerous southbound
Inuit migrations in the past−the area has been settled and resettled for the last 4.500 years.[4]
Archaeological excavations in
Qilakitsoq on the northeastern shore
Nuussuaq Peninsula due south of Uummannaq Island revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named the
Saqqaq culture, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.[5]
Recent
DNA samples from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came from
Siberia about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modern
Native Americans and the
Inuit.[6][7]
Modern settlement
During the early phases of Greenlandic exploration, the fjord was known as Jacob's Bight[8] and Omenak Fjord.[9]
The main urban settlement today is
Uummannaq, once an administrative center of a municipality which covered the entire catchment area of Uummannaq Fjord, and now part of
Avannaata municipality of northwestern Greenland, the largest municipality in the country.
Ikerasak,
Illorsuit,
Nuugaatsiaq, and
Saattut are small island settlements, whereas
Ukkusissat lies on the mainland in the inner parts of the fjord.
The northeastern coastline of Nuussuaq Peninsula is sparsely inhabited or uninhabited in the south, with
Qaarsut and
Niaqornat near the mouth of the fjord being the only settlements.
Sigguup Nunaa peninsula and adjacent lands between the mouth of the fjord and
Upernavik Archipelago in the north are uninhabited.