Ittoqqortoormiit

Ittoqqortoormiit / tunu

Ittoqqortoormiit ( ostgrönl. Illoqqortoormiut, dän. Scoresby ) is isolated in the East Greenland fjord complex located at the output of the Scoresbysundes and on the eastern edge of the Northeast Greenland National Park village with 464 inhabitants ( as of 2012).

History

The decision to stomp on this point in the Scoresbysundes a settlement from the ground, the early 1920s, fell in Copenhagen. The town was founded in 1924/1925 at the suggestion of Ejnar Mikkelsen ( 1880-1971 ). The east coast of Greenland had with the exception of Angmagssalik ( Ammassalik ) District on no fixed settlements. However Archaeological finds show that earlier presence of Inuit in the north-east coast of Greenland (eg in the Dødemannsbugten ( " deadman bay " ) on the island of Clavering ). Constitutionally was the area known as no man's land ( terra nullius ).

As long as no country laid claim to this vast coastline, it could stick to it. But the wild, rough and hard to reach coast became a political issue. Norway, which had been ruled about 500 years in personal union from Denmark, had become independent. The Norwegians, in the Arctic Ocean were traditionally seals and whaling, had been almost the only ones in decades, the dangerous journey ventured with their fishing vessels by the East Greenland Current and went to the coast to hunt. Norwegian catcher had built huts in which they wintered - Norway operation against Danish interests almost alone the economic utilization of this Greenland area. 1920, therefore, claimed sovereignty over all of Greenland Denmark. The Norwegians argued that Denmark, at best, can claim the colonized areas, but not areas where neither Greenland nor Danes lived. Only the Angmagssalik district and the West Coast said the Norwegians to the Danes, where you were not already interested in Norway.

The two countries were trying to agree on a political level by Norway greater use rights were granted, but the territorial claim of Norway apparently could never be entirely eliminated. Then it was decided in Denmark to colonize another part of East Greenland and build a small settlement on the Scoresby. Some families from the Angmagssalik district were relocated with the promise of optimal hunting conditions.

1925 there were 84 people who wanted to colonize uninhabited area. At a stop their ship in Isafjordur ( Iceland ) 14 people died of flu, so finally arrived only 70 people in Ittoqqortoormiit. Today live in Ittoqqortoormiit 464 people. At times, settled the two nearby villages Unarteq (Cape Tobin ) and Itterajivit were (Cape Hope).

Until the formation of the Commune Sermersooq on 1 January 2009 Ittoqqortoormiit was a separate municipality.

Coat of arms

Description: In Silver floats an inserted straight blue tip to the sides of each one en face (opposite) asked blue musk ox head with white face plate.

Economy

Due to the European and American campaigns, initially only against the beating of baby seals on Canada's west coast, the financial situation of the residents has deteriorated considerably since then. In Canada, the seal hunt is particularly justified, one must limit the population to keep the coastal fishing profitable, with the less important for the Inuit trade in seal skins.

Traffic

Ittoqqortoormiit has a helicopter landing pad, the IATA code " OBY " is. The only destination is the airport Nerlerit Inaat ( Constable Pynt ) (CNP ), which is located about 40 kilometers northwest of Ittoqqortoormiit and is used to supply the place. From there, there are flight connections to other airports in Greenland and Iceland.

Climate

Flora and Fauna

Many animal species are only here in the northeast Greenland to meet, such as lemming, ermine and Arctic Wolf. Polar bears are common in the early summer, when they follow the seals on the sea ice. Musk oxen are to be found in large numbers and make the emblem of the place dar. also narwhals, belugas, walruses, seals, snowy owls, arctic fox, arctic hare, King Eider and other animals found in the park.

The landscape is characterized by high-arctic climate, so that the area is poor of vegetation. Due to the low temperatures, the fjords are frozen until June.

North of Ittoqqortoormiit extends the Liverpool - country with its rugged mountain peaks, glaciers, Eisfjorden, islands, capes and bird cliffs, which is recognized by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area ( GL043 ). The largest seabird colonies are Cape Høegh ( auks ) and Raffles Ø ( Dickschnabellummen, auks, puffins ) and others.

To the west the landscape is limited by the Hurry Fjord, on the western shore ( where the Nerlerit Inaat Airport ( Constable Pynt ) is ) the Jameson Land begins, which has the character of a typical high-arctic tundra landscape. Here are countless musk oxen at home.

In the protected interior of the largest fjord system in the world, the climate is less rough, which has an impact on the landscape, particularly on vegetation. In some places glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet discharge calve into the fjord and produce huge icebergs.

South of Ittoqqortoormiit, on the other side of the Scoresbysundes that Volquart - Boon - coast lies with rugged mountains, calving glaciers and other bird cliffs ( Important Bird Area GL042 ). Cape Brewster in the far east is a bird cliffs with numerous thick-billed murres and auks.