Uummannaq Fjord is a largefjord system in the northern part of westernGreenland, the largest afterKangertittivaq fjord in eastern Greenland. It has a roughly south-east to west-north-west orientation, emptying into theBaffin Bay in the northwest.
With the exception of the southwesterncoast formed by theNuussuaq Peninsula, Uummannaq fjord has a developed coastline, with many bays, islands, and peninsulas.
Qaraassap Imaa − a tributary fjord emptying into Ikerasak Fjord from the north, between Qaraasap Nunataa headland in the southeast, andDrygalski Peninsula in the northwest.Lille Gletscher flowing from the ice sheet empties into Qaraasaap Imaa.
Sermillip Kangerlua − a tributary fjord with several inlets of its own, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east, to the southeast ofSalliaruseq Island. From the south, it is bounded by Drygalski Peninsula. From the north, it is bounded by theItillarssuup Qaqaa peninsula.
Itillarsuup Kangerlua − a long tributary fjord, emptying into the main arm of Uummannaq Fjord from the east. From the southwest, it is bounded by the Itillarsuup Qaqaa peninsula. From the northeast, it abuts the inner envelope of the island of Greenland, withKangilleq andSermeq Sillarleq glaciers emptying into it. From the north, it is bounded by the longUkkusissat Peninsula.Appat Island lies at the mouth of the fjord, separated from the Ukkusissat peninsula by theTorsukattak Strait, an extension of Itillarsuup Kangerlua.
Perlerfiup Kangerlua − a long tributary fjord, emptying into the northeastern part of the Uummannaq Fjord. From the south it is bounded by the Ukkusissat Peninsula. From the north it is bounded by thePerlerfiup Nunaa peninsula.
The mummy of a six-month-old boy found in Qilakitsoq
Sheltered from the coastal winds by the high, glaciated mountains of theNuussuaq Peninsula, the area of Uummannaq Fjord is considered the sunniest spot in Greenland.[3] Favourable weather conditions, goodharbours, and proximity to the coastal route made the fjord system attractive to numerous southboundInuit migrations in the past−the area has been settled and resettled for the last 4.500 years.[4]
Archaeological excavations inQilakitsoq on the northeastern shoreNuussuaq Peninsula due south of Uummannaq Island revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture, later named theSaqqaq culture, which inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.[5]
Uummannaq town is the largest settlement in the area
RecentDNA samples from human hair suggest that the ancient Saqqaq people came fromSiberia about 5,500 years ago and independent of the migration that gave rise to the modernNative Americans and theInuit.[6][7]
During the early phases of Greenlandic exploration, the fjord was known asJacob's Bight[8] andOmenak Fjord.[9]
The main urban settlement today isUummannaq, once an administrative center of a municipality which covered the entire catchment area of Uummannaq Fjord, and now part ofAvannaata municipality of northwestern Greenland, the largest municipality in the country.Ikerasak,Illorsuit,Nuugaatsiaq, andSaattut are small island settlements, whereasUkkusissat lies on the mainland in the inner parts of the fjord.
The northeastern coastline of Nuussuaq Peninsula is sparsely inhabited or uninhabited in the south, withQaarsut andNiaqornat near the mouth of the fjord being the only settlements.Sigguup Nunaa peninsula and adjacent lands between the mouth of the fjord andUpernavik Archipelago in the north are uninhabited.
Aerial view of the central expanse of Uummannaq Fjord, with Salleq Island, Appat Island, andPerlerfiup Nunaa in the background
