Ilulissat

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Ilulissat, also known as Jakobshavn or Jacobshavn, is the municipal seat and largest town of the Avannaata municipality in western Greenland, located approximately Template:Convert north of the Arctic Circle. With a population of 5,149 as of 2025,<ref name="population">Template:Cite web</ref> it is the third-largest city in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut. The city is home to almost as many sled-dogs as people.

In direct translation, Ilulissat is the Greenlandic word for "Icebergs" (Template:Langx).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The nearby Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has made Ilulissat the most popular tourist destination in Greenland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tourism is now the town's principal industry. The city neighbours the Ilulissat Icefjord, where there are enormous icebergs from the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere.

History

The town was established as a trading post by Jacob Severin's company in 1741; it was named in his honor<ref name="ole!">Marquardt, Ole. "Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy" in The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Empire?. Verlag Ludwig (Kiel), 2006.</ref><ref name="BibNar">Kjærgaard, Kathrine (2010). "Grønland som del af den bibelske fortælling – en 1700-tals studie Template:Webarchive" ["Greenland as Part of the Biblical Narrative – a Study of the 18th Century"]. Kirkehistoriske Samlinger, 51-130. Template:In lang</ref> after the Battle of Jacobshavn.

The Zion Church (Zions Kirke) was built in the late 18th century; it was the largest man-made structure in Greenland at the time.<ref name="BibNar"/> The final resident of nearby Sermermiut moved to Ilulissat in 1850.<ref>Guide to Ilulissat Museum, Ilulissat Museum</ref>

Ilulissat Declaration

Template:Main The town was the site of the Arctic Ocean Conference in May 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The joint meeting between Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States was held to discuss key issues relating to territorial claims in the Arctic (particularly Hans Island - eventually settled in 2022<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> -, and Arktika 2007) and Arctic shrinkage produced by climate change.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Ilulissat Declaration arose from the conference. It stated that the law of the sea provided for important rights and obligations concerning the delineation of the outer limits of the continental shelf, the protection of the marine environment (including ice-covered areas), freedom of navigation, marine scientific research, and other uses of the sea. It also said that it remained committed to this legal framework and to the orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims.

With this existing legal framework providing a solid foundation for responsible management, there was no need to develop a new comprehensive international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean. The states involved would continue the developments within the Arctic Ocean and continue to implement appropriate measures to further said developments.<ref name=declaration>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Hotel Ilulissat fire

On 7 March 2021 at 20.12 (local time), a major fire broke out in Hotel Ilulissat, which at the time was still under construction. The fire and smoke was seen throughout the city. Police asked everyone in the area to stay home and keep their windows closed, until the fire fighters ended the fire. The police in Nuuk are to start an investigation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Not long after the fire fighters arrived, a gas cylinder exploded. The explosion was heard throughout the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Ilulissat lies on the eastern shore of Disko Bay, just north of the Ilulissat Icefjord (Template:Langx), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.<ref name=unesco>Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate

Ilulissat has a tundra climate (ET) with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. Ilulissat is one of the driest settlements in Greenland, receiving only Template:Convert of precipitation. Ilulissat is also one of the sunniest settlements in Greenland, especially during summer. Interestingly, March is the coldest month in Ilulissat despite similar locations experiencing February as the coldest month of the year. March also holds the all-time record low temperature of Template:Convert.

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Population

With 4,670 inhabitants in 2020, Ilulissat is the largest town in the Avannaata municipality. The population increased over 8% relative to 1990 levels but has remained steady since around 2003.<ref name="localpop">Statistics Greenland, Population in districts and municipalities January 1st 1977-2020 BEEST3 Template:Dead link</ref>

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 bar:2004 from:start till:4470 text:"4,470"
 bar:2005 from:start till:4533 text:"4,533"
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Tourist attractions

Ilulissat Art Museum

Transport

Air

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Ilulissat Airport is located Template:Convert to the northeast of the town center and was built in 1983.<ref>Air Greenland, History Template:Webarchive</ref> It serves Ilulissat with connections to towns in northwestern and midwestern Greenland with Air Greenland. Service to Reykjavík, Iceland, began in April 2011 with Icelandair.

Sea

The Arctic Umiaq ferry links Ilulissat with Sisimiut, Nuuk, and other towns and settlements on the western and southwestern coast of Greenland.

Sport

The town is home to Nagdlunguaq-48 who play in the Greenlandic Men's Football Championship, Greenland's top soccer competition. Nagdlunguaq-48, who play all their league games in Nuuk, have won the championship ten times (as of 2016).

Film

The fourth series of the Danish TV series Borgen (2022) plays partially in the city of Ilulissat and was filmed on location.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was also the location for the filming of Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable people

Knud Rasmussen (1879–1933), noted polar explorer and anthropologist, referred to as the "father of Eskimology";<ref>Jean Malaurie, 1982.</ref> born in Ilulissat.<ref name=alley>Knud Johan Victor Rasmussen Template:Webarchive, biography by Sam Alley. Minnesota State University.</ref> He was the first man to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled. He remains well known in Greenland, Denmark and among Canadian Inuit.<ref name=cruwys>Elizabeth Cruwys, 2003.</ref>
Jørgen Brønlund (1877–1907), also a polar explorer, born in Ilulissat. He grew up with Rasmussen and accompanied him, along with Harald Moltke and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, on the Danish Literary Expedition (1902–1904) to examine Inuit culture. In 1906 he joined Mylius-Erichsen and Peter Høegh Hagen on the Danmark-ekspeditionen to map the northernmost regions of Greenland. Jørgen Brønlund Fjord in Peary Land is named after him.<ref>Famous sons Template:Webarchive</ref>
Kristine Raahauge (1949–2022), municipal politician, activist, eskimologist and writer
Jens Rosing (1925–2008), artist; designed the coat of arms of Greenland and numerous Greenlandic postage stamps; illustrated children's books; watercolours; born in Ilulissat
Ricky Enø Jørgensen, racing cyclist

Twin towns – sister cities

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Ilulissat is twinned or cooperating with several towns and cities, including:

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Gallery

Church and doctor's residence of the town Jacobshavn (1900)
Ilulissat harbor
Cruise ships in the fjord front of Ilulissat
"Trankessel" for boiling blubber in Ilulissat, Greenland
Knud Rasmussen's birthplace in Ilulissat, Greenland; Knud Rasmussen's Museum
Kayaking in Ilulissat
Dog sled sign in Ilulissat
Cruise ship at Ilulissat port
Ilulissat, old part of the city with icebergs from the Ilulissat Icefjord in the background
Sailing in Ilulissat Icefjord
The football field
Ilulissat welcome sign
Ilulissat Airport from the south
Blue iceberg in the Ilulissat Icefjord
View of Ilulissat city from the sea
Ilulissat under snow
Ilulissat from a plane
Ilulissat Church