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'Qeqertarsuaq' or 'Godhavn' in Danish is a port and a town on the south coast of Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island), an island on the west coast of Greenland. Founded in 1773, it is home to a campus of the University of Copenhagen. Qeqertarsuaq is Greenlandic for: 'Large Island.' It is also the name of several other islands on Greenland, for example Qeqertarsuaq (Upernavik) in Upernavik municipality, or Qeqertarsuaq (Herbert Island) in Qaanaaq (Thule) municipality.

Contents

Geography

Attractions

History

See also

Geography

The Municipality of Qeqertarsuaq is one of only two Greenlandic municipalities that does not occupy a portion of the main island of Greenland (the other one is Aasiaat). It consists of the island of Qeqertarsuatsiaq (Disko Island) and its satellite islands (mainly Hareø 11 km northwest of Qeqertarsuatsiaq, and Qeqertaq on the southwest coast, at the mouth of Disko Fjord), with a total area of 9,700 km². As of January 1, 2005, the municipality had a population of 1,032. Of those, 978 lived in the town, and the remaining 54 in the village of Kangerluk (Diskofjord).

Attractions

Many of the flat basaltic mountains found all over the island are covered with perpetual snow. The greatest area is called Sermersuaq (The Grand Glacier). Sermersuaq is situated rather far from the coast which is why it is difficult to reach in summer. Lyngmarksbræen (The Lyngmark Glacier) is a lot smaller than Sermersuaq, but is close to town and can be reached on a few hours’ walk. The glacier covers almost 10 km.
As something quite unique in Greenland, it is possible to ride a dog sled at Qeqertarsuaq under the midnight sun in summer. It takes place on the inland ice at a height of around 700 m in the Lyngmarksfjeld behind the town. One can wander to the top of the Lyngmarksfjeld where efforts are rewarded by a fantastic view of Disco Bay and the gigantic icebergs at Ilulissat almost 100 kilometers away.

History

The town of Qeqertarsuaq was founded by whaler Svend Sandgreen in 1773.
Whaling has been of great importance to the town over the past two centuries. Hunting and fishing are still the primary occupations for the island's inhabitants. Around 1,000 of these inhabitants live in the main town and more than 50 in the Kangerluk settlement, a few hours by boat to the north-west. This is where researchers found a 'galloping' glacier in 1999 that moves up to 100 meters a day.
Traces of settling between five to six thousand years ago have been found at Qeqertarsuaq. The settlers were paleo-eskimos wandering south.
The first whalers came to Qeqertarsuaq during the 17th and the 18th centuries; here they found a suitable anchoring place, which became the basis of the colony.
In 1773, the colony of Godhavn (the Good Port) was established, serving as the most northern point in the enforcement of the Danish rights to the whaling in the region.
In 1862, a new law on municipalities was passed and the so-called Directions were introduced in Greenland. The primary task of the Direction was the administration of the means set apart for social purposes: support for widows, children unprovided for and others in need. The Direction also functioned as an inferior court in case of, for instance, theft. The Direction also took active part in the fight against the spreading of distemper, in the founding of a kayak school for boys and a sewing school for girls.
The Councils of Northern and Southern Greenland were summoned to a meeting in Godhavn on the 3rd of May, 1940. One of the consequences of the meeting is the fact that all the administration of Greenland, until then divided between Godhavn and Godthåb, now was concentrated in Godthåb so that the era of Godhavn being the governmental seat of Northern Greenland was over. The Chief Administrative Office was abolished in 1950 at the establishment of the National Council of Greenland. This also was the beginning of the development of Qeqertarsuaq into a ’normal’ society based on hunting and fishing and into the modern town of today.

See also

''Qeqertarsuaq'' may also refer to a tiny settlement in Qaanaaq municipality, see Qeqertarsuaq (Qaanaaq).