Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat

Greenland is the largest non-continental island in the world. With a population of 56,583 (2022), who mostly live in the south eastern part of the country, it is one of the least densely populated countries in the world. According to historians the first inhabitants arrived 4,500 years ago followed by groups from North America. In the 10th century Norsemen, some led by Erik the Red, set out from Iceland and reached the southwest coast of Greenland. Erik named the island “Greenland” in the hopes it would attract more settlers! These explorers disappeared in the 15th century. Inuit people arrived from Asia in the 13th century and to this day most Inuit Greenlanders are their direct descendants, and continue to practice some of the centuries-old traditions. Today, 88% of Greenland’s population are Inuit (predominantly Kalaallit) or mixed Danish and Inuit. The remaining 12% are of European descent, mainly Danish.

Although Greenland is geographically a part of the North American continent, it has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for about a millennium. It is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but is politically autonomous.

The majority of the population in Greenland speak both Greenlandic/Kalaallisut and Danish. The two languages have been used in public affairs since the establishment of home rule in 1979. Today, the young generation learn both languages, as well as English, in school. “Kayak” and “igloo” are Kalaallisut words that have been adopted into other languages.

There are no roads or railway system that connect settlements to one another. The roads within the towns end at the outskirts. All travel between towns is done by plane, boat, helicopter,snowmobile or dogsled.

Our destination is Nanortalik, on Nanortalik Island, in southern Greenland. With 1,185 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the eleventh-largest town in the country. The name Nanortalik means “Place of Polar Bears” or “Place Where the Polar Bears Go”.

Nanortalik
It was raining!
A stow-away wannabe

Getting to Nanortalik we passed through the Prince Christian Sound. The approximately 60-mile sound cuts between the mainland and an archipelago of islands from east to west, under the southern edge of the massive Greenland Ice Sheet, which covers 80 percent of the island. The sound is narrow, sometimes as little as 1500 feet across, and numerous glaciers reach the sea on its shores, as icebergs float in the very deep water. The mountains surrounding the sound range from 3,000 to over 7,000 feet. It is truly spectacular.

Entrance to Prince Edward Sound from the Greenland Sea
Ours is the large ship on the right

The air and water here is some of the cleanest in the world. It is heartening and interesting to learn that our ship uses a special type of clean fuel and does not discharge anything into the waters. Bravo Celebrity!

2 thoughts on “Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat

  1. What, as usual! great photography! I would really love to go the Greenland .. maybe I can persuade Gene to go next year! Will talk when you get home.

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