Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq (; ; ) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name. The town and airport were built as a U.S. base during and after World War II, when the site was known as Bluie West-8 and then Sondrestrom Air Base, but transitioned to a Greenlandic settlement in 1992. Kangerlussuaq Airport was Greenland's primary air transport hub until the rebuilt and expanded Nuuk Airport opened in 2024.
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Place details
- Locality
- Kangerlussuaq
- Region
- Qeqqata
- Country
- Kalaallit Nunaat
- Population
- 508
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Geography
- History
- Transition from U.S. base to settlement
- Closure of hub
- Climate
- Population
- Transport
- Air
- Sea
- Road
- ATV track to Sisimiut
- Scientific research
- Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility
- References
- External links
Kangerlussuaq (; ; ) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name. The town and airport were built as a U.S. base during and after World War II, when the site was known as Bluie West-8 and then Sondrestrom Air Base, but transitioned to a Greenlandic settlement in 1992. Kangerlussuaq Airport was Greenland's primary air transport hub until the rebuilt and expanded Nuuk Airport opened in 2024.
The Kangerlussuaq area is also home to Greenland's most diverse terrestrial fauna, including muskoxen, caribou, and gyrfalcons. The settlement's economy and population of 399 is almost entirely reliant on the airport and tourist industry. It is the only town in Greenland which is not located on the proper ocean, being situated at the end of a 160 km long fjord, although it still has a coastline on the ocean.