Upernavik

Upernavik

Upernavik is a small town in in the municipality of Avannaata, in western Greenland, located on a small island in Baffin Bay, approximately 160 km north of Nordost Bay. It is home to the Upernavik Museum. Founded by the Danes in 1772, it was a whaling and sealing base. During the 20th century, the fishing industry developed, and halibut fishing and processing became a significant part of the economy. The town is also the administrative center of the municipality. There are graphite deposits nearby, and on the island of Kingittoq to the north-west a runic stone from the early 14th century has been found which tells of three men who spent the winter there. This is the farthest north that any Norse artifacts have been found, except for those small artifacts that may have been brought north by Inuit traders. It marks the northern known frontier of Viking exploration. The island of Qaarsorsuaq to the south is famous for its enormous vertical bird cliffs. The Upernavik Fjord, an inlet of Baffin Bay that is 48 km long, runs southeast to the inland ice cap, where it is fed by the Upernavik Glacier.