Ilimanaq

Ilimanaq
Claushavn

Aerial view of Ilimanaq
Ilimanaq

Location within Greenland

Coordinates: 69°04′52″N 51°06′55″W / 69.08111°N 51.11528°W / 69.08111; -51.11528Coordinates: 69°04′52″N 51°06′55″W / 69.08111°N 51.11528°W / 69.08111; -51.11528
State  Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country  Greenland
Municipality Qaasuitsup
Founded 1741
Government[1]
  Mayor Fritz Johansen
Population (2010)
  Total 84
Time zone UTC-03
Postal code 3952 Ilulissat

Ilimanaq, formerly Claushavn, is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. It had 84 inhabitants in 2010.[2] The modern name of the village is Kalaallisut for "Place of Expectations".

Geography

Icebergs in the Ilulissat Icefjord with Ilimanaq hills in the background

Ilimanaq is located on the eastern shore of Disko Bay, just south of the mouth[3] of the Ilulissat Icefjord (Greenlandic: Ilulissat Kangerlua).

History

The old Danish name of the settlement derived from the Dutch whaler Klacs Pieterz Torp. The whalers were active in the region from 1719 to 1732, leaving a trail of names behind the settlement of Oqaatsut to the north was originally a Dutch whaling station named "Rodebay". Claushavn was founded in 1741, around the same time as Ilulissat.

Transport

Air

Main article: Ilimanaq Heliport

Air Greenland serves the village as part of government contract, with winter-only helicopter flights between Ilimanaq Heliport and Ilulissat Airport.[4] Settlement flights in the Disko Bay are unique in that they are operated only during winter and spring. During winter, the nearby Qasigiannguit town to the south of Ilimanaq can be reached on foot, or by dogsled.

Sea

During summer and autumn, when the waters of Disko Bay are navigable, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline.[5] The ferry links Ilimanaq with Ilulissat, from where ferry connections are available to Oqaatsut, Qeqertaq, Saqqaq, Qeqertarsuaq, and towns and settlements in the Aasiaat Archipelago.

Population

The population of Ilimanaq has been stable in the last two decades.[6]

Ilimanaq population dynamics
Ilimanaq population growth dynamics in the last two decades. Source: Statistics Greenland[6]

References

  1. "Ilimanaq får natur og miljø-pris". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 19 June 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  2. Statistics Greenland (Danish)
  3. Vandrekort Nordgrønland, Ilulissat (Map) (1996 ed.). Cartography by Compukort, Denmark. Greenland Tourism a/s.
  4. "Booking system". Air Greenland. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  5. Diskoline timetable
  6. 1 2 Statistics Greenland
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