Sermersooq

Sermersooq (Greenlandic pronunciation: [sɜm.mɜs.sɔːq̚], Danish: Sted med meget is, lit. 'place of much ice') is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities.^[2] Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital of Greenland, and it is the most populous municipality in the country, with 23,123 inhabitants as of January 2020.^[3]

Sermersooq Sted med meget is (Danish)
Municipality
Sermersooq Municipality Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq (Greenlandic)
Clockwise from top left: Nuuk, Kulusuk, Tasiilaq, Kangertittivaq
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Sermersooq within Greenland
Coordinates (Sermersooq Commune): 66°00′N 40°00′W
Sovereign state	Kingdom of Denmark
Autonomous country	Greenland
Established	1 January 2009
Municipal center	Nuuk
Government [1]
• Mayor	Avaaraq Olsen (Inuit Ataqatigiit)
Area [2]
• Total	531,900 km2 (205,400 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	23,123
• Density	0.043/km2 (0.11/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-03, UTC-01
Calling code	+299
ISO 3166 code	GL-SM
Website	sermersooq.gl

East coast of Sermersooq, just south of 64°N

Creation

The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:^[4]

• Ammassalik Municipality
• Ittoqqortoormiit Municipality
• Ivittuut Municipality
• Nuuk Municipality
• Paamiut Municipality

Administrative divisions

Main article: List of cities and towns in Greenland

Ammassalik area

• Tasiilaq (Ammassalik)
• Kuummiit
• Kulusuk (Kap Dan)
• Tiniteqilaaq
• Sermiligaaq
• Isortoq

Ittoqqortoormiit area

• Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysund)
• Itterajivit

Ivittuut area

• Kangilinnguit (Grønnedal)

Nuuk area

• Nuuk (Godthåb)
• Kapisillit
• Qeqertarsuatsiaat (Fiskenæsset)

Paamiut area

• Paamiut (Frederikshåb)
• Arsuk

Geography

The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with an area of 531,900 km² (205,367.7 sq mi).^[2] As of 2018, it is the largest municipality in the world by area, following the split of the former Qaasuitsup.^[5] As of January 2013 its population was 17,498.^[6] In the south, it is flanked by the Kujalleq municipality, with the border running alongside Alanngorsuaq Fjord. The waters flowing around the western coastline of the municipality are that of Labrador Sea, which to the north narrows down to form Davis Strait separating the island of Greenland from Baffin Island. In the southwest, Ikka Fjord is best known for its eponymous ikaite columns, of a scale unknown anywhere else.

In the northwest, the municipality is bordered by the Qeqqata municipality, and further north by the Qeqertalik and Avannaata municipalities. The latter two borders however run north–south through the center (45° West meridian) of the Greenland ice sheet (Greenlandic: Sermersuaq) − and as such are free of traffic. In the north the municipality is bordered by the Northeast Greenland National Park beyond Cape Biot, at the northern end of Fleming Fjord. In the east, near the settlement of Ittoqqortoormiit, the municipal shores straddle the Kangertittivaq fjord, which opens to the cold Greenland Sea. The southeastern shores are bordered by the Anorituup Kangerlua fjord of the Irminger Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Politics

Sermersooq's municipal council consists of 19 members, elected every four years.^[7]

Municipal council

Election	Party						Total seats	Turnout	Elected mayor
	A	D	IA	N	S	...
2008	2	5	7		6	1	21	56.8%
2013	1	2	8		7	1	19	52.7%	Asii Chemnitz Narup (IA)
2017	1	3	9		6			55.8%	Charlotte Ludvigsen (IA)
2021		2	9	2	6			57.0%
Data from Valg.gl

Transport

Sermersooq is one of two municipalities straddling the western and eastern sides of the island, but is the only municipality where settlements on both coasts are connected via scheduled flights from Nuuk Airport to Kulusuk Airport and Nerlerit Inaat Airport and reverse, operated year-round by Air Greenland.^[8] There are also local flights between Nuuk and Paamiut Airport on the west coast.

Language

Main article: Greenlandic language

Kalaallisut, the West Greenlandic dialect is spoken in the towns and settlements of the western coast. Danish is also in use in the bigger towns. Tunumiit oraasiat, the East Greenlandic dialect, is spoken on the eastern coast.

See also

• Ikka Fjord, located in the south of the region
• KANUKOKA

References

1. Sermersooq Municipality: Administration
2. "Welcome to Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq". Sermersooq Municipality, Official Website. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
3. "Population by Localities". Statistical Greenland. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
4. Sermersooq Municipality (in Danish)
5. "Nittartakkat nutaat: avannaata.gl kiisalu qeqertalik.gl". Retrieved 2018-01-07.
6. Greenland in Figures 2013 (PDF). Statistics Greenland. ISBN 978-87-986787-7-9. ISSN 1602-5709. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
7. Sermersooq.gl "Kommunalbestyrelsen"
8. "Booking system". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010.