Igaliku
Garðar, Igaliko
Igaliku is located in Greenland
Igaliku
Igaliku
Location within Greenland
Coordinates: 60°59′16″N 45°25′15″W / 60.98778°N 45.42083°W / 60.98778; -45.42083
State Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country Greenland
Municipality Kujalleq
Founded1783
Government
[1]
 • MayorKlaus Egede
Population
 (2020)
 • Total21
Time zoneUTC−03:00
Postal code
3921 Narsaq

Igaliku is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The town was founded as Igaliko in 1783 by the trader and colonial administrator Anders Olsen and Greenlandic wife Tuperna. In 2020, Igaliku had 21 inhabitants.[2] The nearby Norse ruins of Garðar and the farms surrounding the town were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017 as part of the Kujataa Greenland: Norse and Inuit Farming at the Edge of the Ice Cap site. [3]

Geography

Igaliku is located southeast of Narsarsuaq, on a peninsula jutting off the mainland of Greenland near the eastern shore of upper Tunulliarfik Fjord.[4] Access to Igaliku from Narsarsauq is cheaper and easier by landing at the small harbor of Itilleq and then crossing the isthmus 4 km (2.5 mi).[5]

Landmarks and sights

Igaliku is best known for the ruins of Garðar, once the religious heart of 12th-century Norse Greenland.[6] The area was at the very heart of the Eastern Settlement and has been extensively archaeologically excavated since the 1830s. There are several historical graves in the area, although most have not presently been identified. The nearby area was documented by New York fine art photographer, Steve Giovinco, as part of a grant from the Scandinavian-American Foundation.

Infrastructure

The settlement has a general store, a church including the congregation building, and a school, Atuarfik Igaliku (Greenlandic for "the school of Igaliku"). There is only one road into the village (called King's Road), which connects Igaliku to a small dock at the farming settlement, Itilleq.

Population

The population of Igaliku has been stable in the last two decades.[7]

Igaliku population dynamics
Igaliku population growth dynamics in the last two decades. Source: Statistics Greenland[7]

Climate

Igaliku has a tundra climate (ET) with cool summers and cold winters.

Climate data for Igaliku (1982-2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −2.5
(27.5) 		−1.6
(29.1) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		3.3
(37.9) 		8.5
(47.3) 		11.8
(53.2) 		13.7
(56.7) 		12.9
(55.2) 		8.8
(47.8) 		3.8
(38.8) 		0.5
(32.9) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		4.7
(40.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) −6.4
(20.5) 		−5.5
(22.1) 		−4.8
(23.4) 		−0.4
(31.3) 		4.6
(40.3) 		7.6
(45.7) 		9.5
(49.1) 		8.9
(48.0) 		5.4
(41.7) 		0.8
(33.4) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		−5.6
(21.9) 		0.9
(33.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −10.2
(13.6) 		−9.4
(15.1) 		−8.6
(16.5) 		−4.1
(24.6) 		0.8
(33.4) 		3.5
(38.3) 		5.4
(41.7) 		4.9
(40.8) 		2
(36) 		−2.2
(28.0) 		−6.1
(21.0) 		−9.3
(15.3) 		−2.8
(27.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 58
(2.3) 		50
(2.0) 		53
(2.1) 		54
(2.1) 		50
(2.0) 		67
(2.6) 		79
(3.1) 		84
(3.3) 		94
(3.7) 		72
(2.8) 		81
(3.2) 		73
(2.9) 		815
(32.1)
Source: Time and Date[8]

References

  1. ^ "Sermitsiaq, 2008/07/18" (in Danish). Archived from the original on August 2, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  2. ^ "Population by Localities". Statistical Greenland. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  3. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Kujataa Greenland: Norse and Inuit Farming at the Edge of the Ice Cap". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  4. ^ Ivittuut/Narsarsuaq/Qaqortoq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
  5. ^ "Metal Traveller in Igaliku". Metaltraveller. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  6. ^ O'Carroll, Etain (2005). Greenland and the Arctic. Lonely Planet. p. 108. ISBN 1-74059-095-3.
  7. ^ a b "Statistics Greenland" (in Danish). Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "IGALIKU CLIMATE". Retrieved April 13, 2020.
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