Sermersooq

Sermersooq (Greenlandic pronunciation: [seʁmeʁsoːq̚], place of much ice, Danish: sted med meget is) 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] The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:[4]

Sermersooq Municipality

Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq
Municipality
Clockwise from top left: Nuuk, Kulusuk, Tasiilaq, Kangertittivaq
Location of Sermersooq within Greenland
Coordinates (Sermersooq Commune): 66°00′N 40°00′W
Sovereign state Kingdom of Denmark
Autonomous country Greenland
Established1 January 2009
Municipal centerNuuk
Government
 • MayorCharlotte Ludvigsen
Area
 • Total531,900 km2 (205,400 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total23,123
 • Density0.043/km2 (0.11/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-03, UTC-01
Calling code+299
ISO 3166 codeGL-SM
Websitesermersooq.gl
East coast of Sermersooq, just south of 64°N

Towns and settlements
Main article: List of cities and towns in Greenland

Geography

The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with an area of 531,900 km2 (205,367.7 sq mi).[2] It is the second largest municipality in the world by area,[2] after the former Qaasuitsup. 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 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. [5]

Municipal council
Election Party Total
seats		 Turnout Elected
mayor
D IA S SA
2017 2 9 7 1 19 55.8% Charlotte Ludvigsen (IA)

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.[6] 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

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. Sermersooq.gl "Kommunalbestyrelsen"
  6. "Booking system". Air Greenland. Archived from the original on 22 April 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
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