Holm Ø | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Kiatassuaq | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Greenland |
| Coordinates | 74°30′45″N56°58′0″W / 74.51250°N 56.96667°W /74.51250; -56.96667 |
| Archipelago | Upernavik Archipelago |
| Area | 180.9 km2 (69.8 sq mi)[1] |
| Length | 32.76 km (20.356 mi) |
| Width | 15.86 km (9.855 mi) |
| Coastline | 81.8 km (50.83 mi)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 940 m (3080 ft) |
| Administration | |
Greenland | |
| Municipality | Avannaata |
Kiatassuaq Island (old spelling:Kiatagssuaq,Danish:Holm Ø, Holm Island) is an uninhabitedisland in the northernUpernavik Archipelago inAvannaata municipality in northwesternGreenland. It marks the southern border ofMelville Bay.
The name of the island means "a large torso" in theGreenlandic language. Initially, before the northbound migration phase of the 1920s, the island was named differently: "Nuussuaq Ungalleq", orthe farther large point, in reference toNuussuaq Peninsula andNuussuaq settlement some 45 kilometers to the south, with both names translating as "large tip".[2]
Its Danish name 'Holm Ø' ('Holm Island') had been given in honour of officer of theDanish Navy and Arctic explorerGustav Holm (1849 – 1940).
Located in the southern part of Melville Bay, Kiatassuaq Island has an elongated shape, with an east–west orientation. It has an area of 180.9 km2 (69.8 sq mi), with a shoreline of 81.8 km (50.8 mi).[1]Kullorsuaq is the closest settlement to Kiatassuaq Island, located on an island of the same name, 6.5 km (4.0 mi) to the north. Kiatassuaq Island is accessible only by boat.
The island is separated from theSanningassorsuaq Peninsula on the mainland of Greenland by theIkerasaa Strait.[3] The strait is split into two channels, with the small Millissua Island straddling the middle. In the northeast, theAlison Bay separates the island from theWandel Landnunatak. In the north, theSaqqarlersuup Sullua separates the island from the smaller, rockySaqqarlersuaq Island andKullorsuaq Island.[3]
The coastline of the island is generally undeveloped, with small inlets only in its eastern end, near the Ikerasaa Strait and the sibling Milissua Island.[3]
| Name | Direction | Latitude N | Longitude W |
|---|---|---|---|
| (none) | Northern Cape | 74°33′42″ | 56°40′15″ |
| Aukarnersuaq | Northeastern Cape | 74°31′42″ | 56°28′13″ |
| (none) | Eastern Cape | 74°30′18″ | 56°24′16″ |
| (none) | Southern Cape | 74°28′10″ | 57°06′30″ |
| Wilcox Head | Western Cape | 74°29′25″ | 57°30′45″ |
Although the southern boundary ofMelville Bay is arbitrary, it isWilcox Head, the western cape of Kiatassuaq Island, which is the most commonly referred to as the southern limit of the bay. Other definitions limit the bay to the Little Renland nunatak farther north where the coastline of mainland Greenland veers to the northwest, or expand it southwards toNuussuaq Peninsula, on the other side ofInussulik Bay.
There is a number of smaller mountainlakes on the island, and one larger Tasersuaq Lake at the lower, eastern end of the island.[3] The island is very mountainous, with a glaciated ridge spanning its entire length. The highest point on the island is an unnamed peak of 940 m (3,080 ft) in the center of the island. Several other summits of the island ridge exceed 700 m (2,300 ft), from the massif overlooking Tasersuaq Lake in the east to the bastion over the Wilcox Head promontory in the west.[3]
Media related toKiatassuaq Island at Wikimedia Commons