Maniitsoq

Maniitsoq / Kitaa

Maniitsoq ( to about German, uneven place ', Danish Sukkertoppen ) is a settlement in West Greenland with 2,715 inhabitants ( 2012).

Geography

The place is located inland on an island with alpine landscape. In the hinterland mountains rising up to 2000 meters altitude. Temperatures range from 20 degrees Celsius in summer to -40 degrees in the winter. The rock is rich gemstone deposits are found with diamonds, rubies and Lazurite. In the hinterland, live reindeer and based in the 1960s, musk oxen.

History

Archaeological finds indicate that at least 4000 years of settlement. One finds in the area remains from the Saqqaq, but mainly the Thule culture. Europeans visited during the 17th century for the first time the region, mainly to whaling. 1755 founded the Norwegian merchant Anders Olsen at the site of today's settlement Kangaamiut the settlement " Sukkertoppen " ( German Sugar Loaf ), whose name derives from the local glaciated mountain peaks. As the place in 1781 moved to its present, more conveniently located place, they took the name with.

Economy, administration and culture

1832 here a whaling station was established. While in the past the economy was based on whale and seal hunting, today is fishing ( cod ) and the crabs and crab processing most important sources of income. In 2000, the airport was put into operation. Meanwhile, tourism has become a source of income. About 30 kilometers northeast of the city on the mainland is located on Apussuit Glacier is one of the largest ski areas in Greenland, here both downhill skiing and cross-country skiing is operated.

Until the formation of the Commune Qeqqata, the result of merging with the local Spring Hill 2009 Maniitsoq was an independent municipality with 3489 inhabitants (2007 ), which included the settlements Atammik, Napasoq and Kangaamiut.

Because of the many bridges that connect the surrounding inhabited islands and islets, Maniitsoq is called the Venice of Greenland.

Coat of arms

Description: Blue an inserted straight silver lace on the reindeer head with antlers in confused colors lies.

Crater

In July 2012, an international research team published under the auspices of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland ( GEUS ) a report on the discovery of a 50 km southeast of Maniitsoq located circular geological structure of about 100 km in diameter in which they the remains of the largest and most believe they have identified the oldest meteorite impact crater discovered earth. Discharged granite samples show unusual character ( impactites, cone of rays ), which are attributed to the short -time exposure to enormous energies, as they are free with a impact event. According to the researchers, the structure on the impact of a large asteroid about 30 km in Mesoarchaikum (around 3000 mya ) due; the original crater should be 500-600 km wide and 30 km depth was significantly greater than the largest terrestrial certainly identified such a structure, the Vredefort crater in South Africa.