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Inussullissuaq Island

Coordinates: 74°24′50″N 57°0′0″W / 74.41389°N 57.00000°W / 74.41389; -57.00000
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Inussullissuaq
Aerial view of Inussullissuaq Island
Inussullissuaq is located in Greenland
Inussullissuaq
Inussullissuaq
Geography
LocationGreenland
Coordinates74°24′50″N 57°0′0″W / 74.41389°N 57.00000°W / 74.41389; -57.00000
ArchipelagoUpernavik Archipelago
Length1.9 km (1.18 mi)
Width6.3 km (3.91 mi)
Administration
Greenland
MunicipalityAvannaata

Inussulissuaq Island (old spelling: Inugsuligssuaq) is a small uninhabited island in the Melville Bay region of the Upernavik Archipelago in Avannaata municipality in northwestern Greenland. The name of the island means "a large cairn" in the Greenlandic language.

Geography

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Inussulissuaq Island is located in the northern part of Inussulik Bay, approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Kiatassuaq Island, and 8.5 km (5.3 mi) west of the mainland Sanningassorsuaq Peninsula.[1] There is a small freshwater lake on the southern coast. The highest point on the island is an unnamed summit at 560 m (1,840 ft).[1]

Promontories

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Direction Latitude N Longitude W
Northern Cape 74°25′54″ 57°01′18″
Eastern Cape 74°24′41″ 56°53′50″
Southern Cape 74°24′05″ 57°00′00″
Western Cape 74°25′10″ 57°05′50″
Left: western cape. Right: eastern cape

History

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Inussullissuaq Island has never been permanently inhabited due to its small size. In 1930 it briefly served as a polar station for Knud Rasmussen,[2] the Greenlandic polar explorer and anthropologist. The station was named Bjørne Borg (or Bjørneborg, a bear castle). Its ruins can still be found on the island.[2]

Settlement

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Kullorsuaq is the closest settlement to the island, located on an island of the same name to the north of Kiatassuaq Island, 19.6 km (12.2 mi) away. In the south, the Nuussuaq village on the southern coast of Nuussuaq Peninsula is located 33.4 km (20.8 mi). The island is accessible only by boat, and thus the distances to reach it are longer due to the need to navigate around the Kiatassuaq Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula, respectively.

References

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  1. ^ a b Upernavik Avannarleq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
  2. ^ a b "History Upernavik District". Kayak-North. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2010.