Cape Moltke

Cape Moltke (Danish: Kap Moltke; Greenlandic: Kangeq) is a headland in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast Greenland, Kujalleq municipality.[1]

For the headland in North Greenland, see Cape Harald Moltke.
Cape Moltke
Kap Moltke, Kangeq
LocationKing Frederick VI Coast
Coordinates63°29′N 40°47′W
Offshore water bodiesIrminger Sea (North Atlantic Ocean)
Elevation460 m (1,510 ft)
AreaArctic

History

There are numerous ancient Inuit ruins in the shores of the coves and islands near the cape, remains of the former inhabitants of the area, the now extinct Southeast-Greenland Inuit.[2]

Cape Moltke was named by Lieutenant Wilhelm August Graah in 1829 during his East Coast expedition. Graah noticed that north of the cape the land was more covered with snow than to the south. He named the headland after Danish Minister of State Count Adam Wilhelm Moltke of Bregentved.[3]

Geography

Cape Moltke is located at the eastern end of Thorland, 33 km (21 mi) NNE of Cape Niels Juel. It is a reddish-brown promontory with steep cliffs located about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of the mouth of Bernstorff Fjord.[4]

North and south of Cape Moltke the coast is indented with small fjords and a number of offshore islands. Qimiitaa, Qeertartivaq and Kivinak are located northeast of the cape, on the southern side of the mouth of Bernstorff Fjord, and Kiasigssaq, among others, southwest of it.[5]

1944 map of the area around Skjoldungen showing Cape Moltke.

References
  1. Den grønlandske Lods - Sejladsanvisninger Østgrønland, p. 49
  2. Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008 pp. 29-40
  3. W. A. Graah, Narrative of an Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland, London, 1837 p. 89
  4. Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 102
  5. "Kap Moltke". Mapcarta. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
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