This is the land of dog sleds and the Midnight Sun. The region stretches from Kangaatsiaq in the south to Qaanaaq in the north. During the summer, the sun is in the sky twenty-four hours a day – and the further north you travel, the longer this period of endless light will last.
This means, of course, that there is a corresponding period of darkness in the winter. The day that the sun reappears in Ilulissat is 13 January, which is a festival that everyone looks forward to. Even though there are airports at Aasiaat, Ilulissat, on the Nuussuaq peninsula near Uummannaq and at Upernavik, many people travel the long distances between towns by passenger ship – these jounreys are great adventures in themsleves, and allow fantastic exposure to the full variety of Greenland’s nature.
The coast is dotted with countless rocky islands, and the mountains in the south are relatively low. Disko Island is famed for its huge basalt mountains, and the highest peaks on the west coast are found near near Uummannaq. The cliffs around Upernavik are home to spectacular colonies of seabirds, and the whole coast abounds with glaciers and ice fields. Some of the world’s most productive and fast-moving glaciers are to be seen around Uummannaq and Ilulissat.
Seal hunting is the most important source of income for a large part of North Greenland’s population, and this is why the settlements here are different from those in the rest of Greenland. There are many settlements in the region, and as a visitor you will be able to experience a different Greenland from the one you will find in the busy towns. During the winter, when the fjords freeze over, the dog sled is an indispensable means of transport for the fishermen and hunters. Long lines are set through holes in the ice for Greenland halibut. These fish are frequently caught at a depth of 600 metres, and the lines are pulled up by hand! The importance of dog sleds is clearly indicated by the fact that there are more dogs than people in many places.
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