Greenland. Upernavik
Greenland. Upernavik
Greenland. Upernavik
Anthropogeos
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Christian Gottet, Sardar S. Sardarov, Anthropogeos
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In her interview British skier Wendy Searle said that she crossed Greenland in order to prepare for her trip in Antarctica. The Anthropogeos team was near the coast of Greenland in 2017, in July-August, and we decided to share with you a few photos and interesting facts about this island.
No matter which part of Greenland you visit, you will definitely see icebergs. The most famous place to watch them is Ilulissat Isfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Due to the very small number of cars, Greenland is considered to be the place on Earth with the cleanest air and the cleanest water.
There are more boats in Greenland than cars. Due to the difficult terrain, there are no roads outside the cities on the island. The longest road is 35 km, from the Kellyville research station to the ice dome.
The Anthropogeos expedition stopover was in the city of Upernavik, in the north of Western Greenland. The city was founded in 1772 and named after the island. The word "upernavik" is translated from the Greenlandic "spring place".
In total (as of 2020), 1092 people live in the city.
This is the northernmost point where traces of the presence of the Vikings were found. Near Upernavik, in 1824, the runic stone Kingitorsak was found dating back to the 13th century. It has 3 Viking names and information about the pyramid built there.
There are no trees here due to the harsh climate — the temperature in July rarely rises above 5℃. However, there are many flowers in spring, and closer to the end of summer, you can pick berries and mushrooms.
The best season for visiting Greenland is from May to July, and APRIL for skiing.
Most of the native inhabitants of Greenland are Inuit, who moved to the island from Alaska and settled here around the 13th century. Now Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and all its inhabitants have Danish citizenship (just over 56 thousand people). However, since 1979, a law on self-government has been in force here, and local authorities take on more and more duties and rights.
This is the area with the lowest population density on earth. Of course, most of the inhabitants are concentrated in cities and towns on the coast, especially in the southwest, and no one lives inside the island, covered with ice and snow. However, even in the Greenlandic cities it costs nothing to be alone with yourself. Unlike the Antarctica, there is plenty of space for solitude here.
This is the area with the lowest population density on earth. Of course, most of the inhabitants are concentrated in cities and towns on the coast, especially in the southwest, and no one lives inside the island, covered with ice and snow. However, even in the Greenlandic cities it costs nothing to be alone with yourself. Unlike the Antarctica, there is plenty of space for solitude here.
Two-thirds of the island's surface is covered by an ice dome, like in Antarctica.
Tourism began to develop in Greenland from the end of the 20th century, peaking at the beginning of the 21st century. Most of the tourists come from Denmark. First of all, the harsh nature attracts them. And the island is home to the largest and northernmost national park, the Northeast Greenland National Park. Its area is 972,001 sq. km.
To get by plane to the island, you need to fly from Denmark or Iceland. Despite the geographic proximity of the region to North America, there are (yet) no flights from there to the island. Greenland's main airport is located near the city of Kangerlussuaq. It is here, and not in the capital Nuuk, because of the most stable weather and the flattest land, convenient for the construction of runways.
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Anthropogeos. 2021
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