Denmark
West coast of Greenland, Bay of Disko Bugt (bight), Municipality of Ilulissat
N69 7 60 W49 30 0
Date of Inscription: 2004
Minor boundary modification inscribed year: 2019
Criteria: (vii)(viii)
Property : 399,800 ha
Buffer zone: 64,890 ha
Ref: 1149bis
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Located on the west coast of Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world. It annually calves over 35 km3 of ice, i.e. 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice and more than any other glacier outside Antarctica. Studied for over 250 years, it has helped to develop our understanding of climate change and icecap glaciology. The combination of a huge ice-sheet and the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs makes for a dramatic and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.
Located on the west coast of Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord is a tidal fjord covered with floating brash and massive ice, as it is situated where the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier calves ice into the sea. In winter, the area is frozen solid. One of the few places where ice from the Greenland ice cap enters the sea, Sermeq Kujalleq is also one of the fastest moving (40 m per day) and most active glaciers in the world. Its annual calving of over 46 cubic kilometres of ice, i.e. 10% of all Greenland calf ice, is more than any other glacier outside Antarctica, and it is still actively eroding the fjord bed. The combination of a huge ice-sheet and the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord full of icebergs make for a dramatic and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.
The Greenland ice cap is the only remnant in the Northern Hemisphere of the continental ice sheets from the Quaternary Ice Age. The oldest ice is estimated to be 250,000 years old, and provides detailed information on past climatic changes and atmospheric conditions from 250,000 to around 11,550 years ago, when climate became more stable. Studies made over the last 250 years demonstrate that during the last ice age, the climate fluctuated between extremely cold and warmer periods, while today the ice cap is being maintained by an annual accumulation of snow that matches the loss through calving and melting at the margins. This phenomenon has helped to develop our understanding of climate change and icecap glaciology.
Criterion (vii): The combination of a huge ice sheet and a fast moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs is a phenomenon only seen in Greenland and Antarctica. Ilulissat offers both scientists and visitors easy access for a close view of the calving glacier front as it cascades down from the ice sheet and into the ice-choked fjord. The wild and highly scenic combination of rock, ice and sea, along with the dramatic sounds produced by the moving ice, combine to present a memorable natural spectacle.
Criterion (viii): The Ilulissat Icefjord is an outstanding example of a stage in the Earth’s history: the last ice age of the Quaternary Period. The ice-stream is one of the fastest (40 m per day) and most active in the world. Its annual calving of over 46 km3 of ice accounts for 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice, more than any other glacier outside Antarctica. The glacier has been the object of scientific attention for 250 years and, along with its relative ease of accessibility, has significantly added to the understanding of ice-cap glaciology, climate change and related geomorphic processes.
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Ilulissat is a city in Western Greenland in the Disko Bay just by the icefjord, from which it got its name. Ilulissat has one of the most beautiful settings for a great Greenlandic experience. Ilulissat is at the mouth of the Ilulissat Ice Fjord, which was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The town is next to the sea filled with icebergs from the most active glacier in the world, Sermeq Kujalleq. Excavations show that people have inhabited the area for thousands of years, and it was once the largest town in Greenland. The town is also known for having almost the same number of sled dogs as people: the town is home to 4,600 people and nearly 3,500 sled dogs. Ilulissat is birthplace of the explorer Knud Rasmussen. You can walk around, or get a cab, if you’re going to or from the airport, which is located a bit out of town [read more].
Aasiaat or Ausiait, formerly Egedesminde, is a town in the Qeqertalik municipality in western Greenland, located in the heart of Aasiaat Archipelago at the southern end of Disko Bay. With a population of 3,069 as of 2020, it is Greenland’s fourth-largest town. In Greenlandic, Aasiaat means “Spiders”. The exact explanation for this is yet to be determined because of the lack of historical facts of the origin of the name. The most common assumption is that when the town was founded as a mere settlement, it was abundant with spiders. Like in the rest of Greenland, spiders are rarely seen in the town in modern times. Aasiaat is sometimes referred to as the Town of the Whales, since marine mammals such as whales and seals are a common sight. Archaeological projects in the region have suggested human habitation in the region that includes Aasiaat as far back as the 5th millennium BC. The earliest modern settlers dated to around 1200; these were probably subsistence hunters [read more].
Uummannaq is a city in Western Greenland. Uummannaq is a town of about 1,300 people (2013) with another 1,300 residing in the surrounding settlements. The main industry in the area is fishing for halibut, which has overtaken hunting as the principal industry for the town. The town is about 500 km north of the Arctic Circle, and the midnight sun is experienced from mid-May through August. Uummannaq is on a heartshaped island, hence its name, heartlike place. Airgreenland flies from Ilulissat and Qaanaaq to the nearby airport at Qaarsut. From there a helicopter will take you to the heliport in Uummannaq. The easiest way to get to Uummannaq is to take a flight from Kangerlussuaq to Qaarsut with a layover in either Aasiaat or Ilulissat. Then take the 10-minute helicopter flight to Uummannaq, in the winter the journey from Qaarsut is easy by car, but by air is faster. The city can be traversed on foot [read more].
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