Nuuk
Nuuk
Usage
Capital city of Greenland
Grammar Note
Means "cape" or "promontory" in Greenlandic. Former Danish name was Godthåb
Ilulissat
I-lu-lis-sat
Usage
Greenlandic city near the UNESCO World Heritage Ilulissat Icefjord
Grammar Note
Means "icebergs" in Greenlandic; the center of glacier tourism
Sisimiut
Si-si-mi-ut
Usage
Greenland's second-largest city, just south of the Arctic Circle
Grammar Note
Means "people at the fox holes" in Greenlandic, referencing traditional Inuit dwellings
Qaqortoq
Qa-qor-toq
Usage
Largest city in southern Greenland, known for outdoor sculptures
Grammar Note
Means "the white one" in Greenlandic; has a history of Norse settlement
Tasiilaq
Ta-sii-laq
Usage
Main settlement in East Greenland, popular for aurora borealis viewing
Grammar Note
Means "the one resembling a lake"; beautifully located among fjords
Kangerlussuaq
Kan-ger-lus-su-aq
Usage
Settlement with Greenland's main international airport
Grammar Note
Means "big fjord" in Greenlandic; formerly called Søndre Strømfjord by the Danes
Aasiaat
Aa-si-aat
Usage
Greenland's third-largest city, a port town on Disko Bay
Grammar Note
Means "spiders" in Greenlandic; formerly called Egedesminde in Danish
Nanortalik
Na-nor-ta-lik
Usage
Southernmost major city in Greenland, famous for rock climbing
Grammar Note
Means "place of polar bears" in Greenlandic; known for granite walls and icebergs
Uummannaq
Uum-man-naq
Usage
Beautiful settlement in northwest Greenland, famous for its heart-shaped mountain
Grammar Note
Means "heart-shaped" in Greenlandic, named after the distinctive heart-shaped local mountain
Sermersooq
Ser-mer-sooq
Sermersooq (municipality, including Nuuk)
Usage
Greenland's largest municipality, including the capital Nuuk
Grammar Note
Means "place of much ice"; a large municipality created in the 2009 Greenlandic municipal reform
Kalaallit Nunaat
Ka-laal-lit Nu-naat
Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat)
Usage
The country's own Greenlandic name, meaning "land of the Kalaallit"; Grønland in Danish. Population about 56,000, and since no roads connect the towns, all travel between them is by air or sea
Avannaata Kommunia
A-van-naa-ta Kom-mu-ni-a
Avannaata Kommunia (northern municipality)
Usage
The north-western municipality, seated at Ilulissat and covering Uummannaq, Upernavik and Qaanaaq; created in 2018 when the former Qaasuitsup municipality was split. Every town in it is reachable only by air or boat
Kommune Qeqertalik
Kom-mu-ne Qe-qer-ta-lik
Usage
Municipality on the southern side of Disko Bay, seated at Aasiaat and covering Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq and Kangaatsiaq; the name means "the one with islands". Created in 2018
Qeqqata Kommunia
Qeq-qa-ta Kom-mu-ni-a
Qeqqata Kommunia (central municipality)
Usage
Central west-coast municipality seated at Sisimiut and including Maniitsoq and Kangerlussuaq; the name means "of the middle". It holds both the country's second city and its main international airport
Kommune Kujalleq
Kom-mu-ne Ku-jal-leq
Kommune Kujalleq (southern municipality)
Usage
The southernmost municipality, seated at Qaqortoq and including Narsaq, Nanortalik and Narsarsuaq; the name means "the southernmost". The UNESCO farming landscape of Kujataa lies here
Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq
Ka-laal-lit Nu-naan-ni nu-na eq-qis-si-si-ma-ti-taq
Northeast Greenland National Park
Usage
The world's largest national park, covering roughly 972,000 km² of north-east Greenland; it belongs to no municipality and has no permanent population. Entry requires an official permit, and access is by chartered aircraft or ice-strengthened ship
Pituffik
Pi-tuf-fik
Usage
Site of the US Pituffik Space Base in the far north-west, renamed from Thule Air Base in 2023. It was originally an Inuit hunting settlement whose people were moved to Qaanaaq in 1953. It is closed to ordinary travellers
Maniitsoq
Ma-niit-soq
Usage
West-coast town of about 2,500 people, formerly called Sukkertoppen in Danish. It stands on an island cut by canal-like channels, has its own airport, and the mountains behind it are known for heli-skiing
Paamiut
Paa-mi-ut
Usage
Town of about 1,300 people some 250 km south of Nuuk, formerly Frederikshåb in Danish; the name means "those who live at the mouth". Known for its 1909 wooden church and its white-tailed eagles. It has an airport but few flights
Narsaq
Nar-saq
Usage
Southern town of about 1,300 people whose name means "the plain"; the Danish colonial name was Nordprøven. It sits amid sheep-farming country and has no airport — access is by heliport and by boat from Narsarsuaq and Qaqortoq
Upernavik
U-per-na-vik
Usage
Town of about 1,100 people in the north-west; the name means "springtime place". It sits on a small island amid a vast archipelago of tiny settlements. It has an airport, but flights are often weathered out and the sea freezes in winter, stopping boats
Qasigiannguit
Qa-si-gi-ann-gu-it
Usage
Town of about 1,100 on the eastern shore of Disko Bay, formerly Christianshåb in Danish; the name means "the little spotted seals". There is no airport — only a heliport and boat services
Qeqertarsuaq
Qe-qer-tar-su-aq
Usage
Town of about 800 on Disko Island, formerly Godhavn in Danish. The island itself is also called Qeqertarsuaq ("the big island", Disko in Danish). Known for its basalt plateaux and whale watching, and reached by boat or helicopter from Aasiaat and Ilulissat
Qaanaaq
Qaa-naaq
Usage
One of the world's northernmost towns at 77°N, with about 600 people; called Thule (or New Thule) in Danish. It was built by families relocated in 1953 when the base at Pituffik was constructed. Dog-sledge hunting is still central here, and its airport has only a few flights a week
Ittoqqortoormiit
It-toq-qor-toor-mi-it
Usage
East-coast town of about 350 people, formerly Scoresbysund in Danish, at the mouth of the vast Kangertittivaq fjord system. It is Greenland's most isolated town: you fly to Nerlerit Inaat airport some 40 km away and continue by helicopter, and the sea is frozen most of the year
Kangaatsiaq
Ka-ngaat-si-aq
Usage
Greenland's smallest town, about 500 people, midway between Aasiaat and Sisimiut. It has no airport — only a heliport and boat calls — and very little tourist infrastructure
Mittarfeqarfiit
Mit-tar-fe-qar-fi-it
Mittarfeqarfiit (Greenland Airports)
Usage
The state operator of Greenland's airports and heliports; the name simply means "the airports", and it appears on the terminal buildings. Many smaller towns have only a heliport, and services are cancelled by weather often enough that you should build spare days into any itinerary
Mittarfik Nuuk
Mit-tar-fik Nuuk
Nuuk Airport (GOH)
Usage
The capital's airport, about 4 km from town. A new runway of roughly 2,200 m opened in November 2024, allowing large jets to fly in direct from Copenhagen and elsewhere; it is also a hub for domestic connections
Mittarfik Kangerlussuaq
Mit-tar-fik Kan-ger-lus-su-aq
Kangerlussuaq Airport (SFJ)
Usage
Airport with a runway of about 2,800 m, built as a US wartime base. Its dry inland climate means little fog or wind, and it was long the country's gateway. A gravel road runs from here to the edge of the ice sheet — the only long-distance road in Greenland
Mittarfik Ilulissat
Mit-tar-fik I-lu-lis-sat
Ilulissat Airport (JAV)
Usage
Gateway to Disko Bay, with the UNESCO icefjord within walking distance of the town. Its runway has been extended to take larger aircraft, and domestic flights link it to Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq
Mittarfik Narsarsuaq
Mit-tar-fik Nar-sar-su-aq
Narsarsuaq Airport (UAK)
Usage
The gateway airport for southern Greenland, built by the US in the Second World War as Bluie West One. From here you continue by boat or helicopter to the Kujataa UNESCO settlements and to Qaqortoq and Narsaq. It lies deep in a fjord and is prone to weather cancellations
Mittarfik Kulusuk
Mit-tar-fik Ku-lu-suk
Kulusuk Airport (KUS)
Usage
The gravel-runway airport that serves as East Greenland's gateway, built on a former US radar station. There is no road to Tasiilaq: it is about 10 minutes by helicopter, or by boat in summer. Some flights also come from Reykjavík in Iceland
Mittarfik Sisimiut
Mit-tar-fik Si-si-mi-ut
Sisimiut Airport (JHS)
Usage
Airport of Greenland's second city. The runway is short, so only small aircraft such as the Dash 8 use it. It is about 20 minutes from Kangerlussuaq, and it is also the end of the walking route between the two, the Arctic Circle Trail
Mittarfik Aasiaat
Mit-tar-fik Aa-si-aat
Aasiaat Airport (JEG)
Usage
Small-aircraft airport on the southern side of Disko Bay; helicopters and boats connect onward from here to Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq and Kangaatsiaq, making it the interchange for that side of the bay
Mittarfik Maniitsoq
Mit-tar-fik Ma-niit-soq
Maniitsoq Airport (JSU)
Usage
Small airport at Maniitsoq, served by domestic flights on the Nuuk–Kangerlussuaq axis; it is also the way in and out for heli-skiing in the surrounding mountains
Mittarfik Qaarsut
Mit-tar-fik Qaar-sut
Qaarsut Airport (JQA)
Usage
The air gateway to Uummannaq, but located at the settlement of Qaarsut on the far side of the fjord; you continue by helicopter or boat in summer, and across the ice in winter. The airport name differs from the town's, so check carefully when booking
Mittarfik Upernavik
Mit-tar-fik U-per-na-vik
Upernavik Airport (JUV)
Usage
Small airport at Upernavik and the base for helicopters out to the settlements of the surrounding islands. In winter there is no daylight and cancellations are frequent, so allow slack in your plans
Mittarfik Qaanaaq
Mit-tar-fik Qaa-naaq
Qaanaaq Airport (NAQ)
Usage
Greenland's northernmost airport with scheduled service, on a gravel runway. There are only a few flights a week and weather delays of several days happen; beyond here, travel to the settlements is by dog sledge or small boat
Mittarfik Paamiut
Mit-tar-fik Paa-mi-ut
Paamiut Airport (JFR)
Usage
Small airport at Paamiut south of Nuuk. Scheduled flights are sparse, and the coastal ferry is sometimes the more practical way in
Mittarfik Nerlerit Inaat
Mit-tar-fik Ner-le-rit I-naat
Nerlerit Inaat Airport (CNP)
Usage
Gateway airport for Ittoqqortoormiit on the east coast; Constable Pynt in Danish, and the Greenlandic name means "the place of the geese". The town is about 40 km away and reachable only by helicopter, and flights run roughly once a week
Arctic Umiaq Line
Arc-tic U-mi-aq Line
Arctic Umiaq Line (coastal ferry)
Usage
The only scheduled passenger ship along the west coast, running roughly once a week between Qaqortoq in the south and Ilulissat in the north; "umiaq" is Greenlandic for boat. It does not sail when the sea ices up, so the season runs roughly from spring to early winter
Sarfaq Ittuk
Sar-faq It-tuk
Sarfaq Ittuk (the coastal ferry vessel)
Usage
The name of the ship that actually operates the coastal ferry — it is this name you will see on harbour notices and timetables. It has cabins and berths and calls at small towns along the way, so it reaches places no aircraft serves
Narsarsuaq
Nar-sar-su-aq
Usage
Small settlement of about 130 people in the south; the name means "the great plain". It exists mainly around its airport, and boats leave from here for Qassiarsuk, Qaqortoq and Narsaq. Accommodation is limited and concentrated in summer
Kulusuk
Ku-lu-suk
Usage
Settlement of about 250 on Kulusuk island on the east coast, also known in Danish as Kap Dan. Its airport makes it the entry point to East Greenland, and the drum-dance tradition survives here. Tasiilaq is reached by helicopter, or by boat in summer
Qassiarsuk
Qas-si-ar-suk
Usage
Sheep-farming settlement of about 40 people in the south, on the site of Brattahlíð, the Norse farm founded by Erik the Red, and a component of the Kujataa World Heritage site. It is about 10 minutes by boat from Narsarsuaq; there is no road
Igaliku
I-ga-li-ku
Usage
Hamlet of about 30 people in the south, holding the cathedral ruins of Garðar, the Norse bishop's seat, and a component of the Kujataa World Heritage site. You come by boat to the landing at Itilleq and continue about 3 km on an unpaved track on foot or by vehicle
Alluitsup Paa
Al-lu-it-sup Paa
Usage
Settlement of about 180 in the south, formerly Sydprøven in Danish. Boats to the Uunartoq hot springs leave from here. There is no road — access is by boat or helicopter only
Oqaatsut
O-qaat-sut
Usage
Tiny settlement of about 30 people north of Ilulissat, formerly Rodebay in Danish. In summer it is about an hour by boat from Ilulissat; in winter you cross the ice by dog sledge or snowmobile
Ilimanaq
I-li-ma-naq
Usage
Settlement of about 50 people on the south side of the icefjord, formerly Claushavn in Danish. It is about an hour by boat from Ilulissat, though drifting ice can stop the crossing; 18th-century trading-post buildings survive here
Siorapaluk
Si-o-ra-pa-luk
Usage
One of the world's northernmost permanently inhabited settlements, about 40 people, north-west of Qaanaaq; the name means "the little sandy place". People live by hunting. Access is by small boat in summer and dog sledge in winter — there is no scheduled service
Kapisillit
Ka-pi-sil-lit
Usage
The only settlement inside the Nuuk fjord system, about 40 people; the name means "salmon", after the one river in Greenland where salmon spawn. It is several hours by boat from Nuuk, and sailings thin out when the fjord ices over
Sarfannguit
Sar-fann-gu-it
Usage
Settlement of about 100 people east of Sisimiut, lying inside the Aasivissuit–Nipisat World Heritage area; the name means "the little current". You reach it by boat from Sisimiut — there is no road
Qeqertarsuatsiaat
Qe-qer-tar-su-at-si-aat
Usage
Settlement of about 170 people south of Nuuk, formerly Fiskenæsset in Danish. The coastal ferry calls here, and it can be reached only by boat or helicopter
Kuummiut
Kuum-mi-ut
Usage
Settlement of about 250 people on a fjord north of Tasiilaq in East Greenland; the name means "those who live by the river". Reached by helicopter from Tasiilaq, or by boat in summer. Glaciers surround it, and it serves as a base for mountaineering and ski touring
Ilulissat Kangerlua
I-lu-lis-sat Kan-ger-lu-a
Ilulissat Icefjord
Usage
UNESCO natural World Heritage site inscribed in 2004; Ilulissat Isfjord in Danish and also called Kangia locally. It is one of the few World Heritage sites you can simply walk to on a boardwalk from town, and the huge icebergs jammed at its mouth are there year-round
Sermeq Kujalleq
Ser-meq Ku-jal-leq
Sermeq Kujalleq glacier
Usage
The glacier that feeds icebergs into the Ilulissat Icefjord; the name means "the southern glacier" and it is Jakobshavn Isbræ in Danish. It is one of the fastest-flowing glaciers on earth, best seen from the town boardwalks or from a boat or helicopter tour
Eqi Sermia
E-qi Ser-mi-a
Eqi Sermia (Eqi Glacier)
Usage
Calving glacier about 80 km north of Ilulissat where the ice front can be watched at close range. Access is by boat in summer only, four to five hours each way, as a long day trip or staying at the lodge facing the glacier; in winter the sea ice closes it off
Qeqertarsuup Tunua
Qe-qer-tar-suup Tu-nu-a
Disko Bay
Usage
The large bay on the central-northern west coast, Diskobugten in Danish; the Greenlandic name means "the back side of the big island". Ilulissat, Aasiaat, Qasigiannguit and Qeqertarsuaq all lie on it, and it is the heart of iceberg and whale tourism
Nuup Kangerlua
Nuup Kan-ger-lu-a
Nuup Kangerlua (Nuuk Fjord)
Usage
One of the world's largest fjord systems, running inland behind the capital; Godthåbsfjorden in Danish. Day boat tours leave Nuuk for its glaciers and whales, and the settlement of Kapisillit lies at its head
Sermitsiaq
Ser-mit-si-aq
Sermitsiaq (mountain)
Usage
The roughly 1,200 m mountain north-east of Nuuk, visible from all over the city and its emblem; the name means "the little glacier". It stands on an island, so climbing it starts with a boat crossing. A national newspaper is named after it
Sermersuaq
Ser-mer-su-aq
Sermersuaq (the Greenland Ice Sheet)
Usage
The vast ice sheet covering roughly 80 per cent of the island; the name means "the great glacier", and it is Indlandsisen in Danish. Only the ice-free coastal fringe is habitable, which is why the towns are strung along the sea and no roads join them
Point 660
Point 660
Point 660 (ice sheet edge)
Usage
The edge of the ice sheet about 35 km east of Kangerlussuaq by gravel road — one of the very few places you can drive to the ice, and known on the ground by this number. The track is unpaved, so trips run in four-wheel-drive tour vehicles, mostly in the summer season
Kujataa
Ku-ja-taa
Kujataa (UNESCO World Heritage)
Usage
Cultural World Heritage site inscribed in 2017: the farming landscape of southern Greenland, where Norse and modern Inuit sheep farming overlap on the same ground. It is made up of several component areas including Qassiarsuk, Igaliku and Qaqortukulooq, and you move between them by boat
Qaqortukulooq
Qa-qor-tu-ku-looq
Qaqortukulooq (Hvalsey)
Usage
Norse church ruin north-east of Qaqortoq, known in Danish as Hvalsey. It is the best-preserved Norse structure in Greenland, and the record of a wedding held here in 1408 is the last written document about Norse Greenland. About an hour by boat from Qaqortoq
Aasivissuit–Nipisat
Aa-si-vis-su-it–Ni-pi-sat
Aasivissuit–Nipisat (UNESCO World Heritage)
Usage
Cultural World Heritage site inscribed in 2018: the Inuit hunting grounds stretching from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq, holding 4,200 years of caribou-hunting and fishing remains. The Arctic Circle Trail walking route crosses it
Kangertittivaq
Kan-ger-tit-ti-vaq
Kangertittivaq (Scoresby Sund)
Usage
One of the world's largest fjord systems, on the east coast, called Scoresby Sund in Danish and English, with the town of Ittoqqortoormiit at its mouth. Most visits are by expedition cruise in summer; sea ice closes it for most of the year
Uunartoq
Uu-nar-toq
Uunartoq (hot spring island)
Usage
Natural hot springs on an uninhabited island in the south; the name means "the hot one", and the pools look out on drifting icebergs. Reached by boat from Qaqortoq or Alluitsup Paa, in summer only, with facilities no more than a changing hut
Katuaq
Ka-tu-aq
Katuaq Culture Centre
Usage
Culture centre in central Nuuk, opened in 1997; the name means "drumstick" and its rippling wooden facade evokes the northern lights. It houses a hall, a cinema and a cafe, and is a useful first stop for information
Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu
Nu-nat-ta Ka-ter-su-gaa-si-vi-a Al-la-gaa-te-qar-fi-a-lu
Greenland National Museum and Archives
Usage
The national museum in Nuuk's old colonial harbour quarter. Its permanent display includes the 15th-century mummies found at Qilakitsoq near Uummannaq, and it is the one place to see Inuit culture and Norse history side by side
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