Sermersooq
{{Short description|Municipality of Greenland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Sermersooq
| official_name = Sermersooq Municipality
{{native name|kl|Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq}}
{{native name|da|Sermersooq Kommune}}
| other_name =
| type = Municipality
| image_skyline = Sermersooq-montage.jpg
| image_alt = Sermersooq Municipality
| image_caption = Clockwise from top left: Nuuk, Kulusuk, Tasiilaq, Kangertittivaq
| image_flag = Flag of Sermersooq, Denmark.svg
| flag_size =
| image_shield = Sermersooq-coat-of-arms.svg
| shield_size = 55px
| shield_alt =
| image_map = Sermersooq in Greenland 2018.svg
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Location of Sermersooq within Greenland
| mapsize = 250px
| coordinates = {{coord|66|00|N|40|00|W|region:GL_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint = Sermersooq Commune
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Sovereign state
| subdivision_name = {{Flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}
| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = {{Flag|Greenland}}
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 1 January 2009
| seat_type = Municipal center
| seat = Nuuk
| government_footnotes = [https://sermersooq.gl/da/kommunen/borgmester Sermersooq Municipality: Administration]
| leader_party =
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Avaaraq Olsen (Inuit Ataqatigiit)
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_total_km2 = 531900
| area_total_sq_mi =
| population_total = 23123
| population_as_of = 2020
| population_density_km2 = auto
| area_code_type = Calling code
| area_code = +299
| iso_code = GL-SM
| website = {{URL|https://sermersooq.gl/}}
| footnotes =
}}
File:East coast of Greenland, just S of 64N.jpg|350px]]
Sermersooq ({{IPA|kl|sɜm.mɜs.sɔːq̚}}) is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five previous, smaller municipalities. 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.{{cite web|title= Population by Localities|url = https://bank.stat.gl/pxweb/en/Greenland/Greenland__BE__BE01__BE0120/BEXST4.PX/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=27d6ab46-03f8-43bd-868c-24a2a5a0a8e0|publisher = Statistical Greenland|access-date = 7 April 2020 }}
Creation
The municipality consists of former municipalities of eastern and southwestern Greenland, each named after the largest settlement at the time of formation:[http://www.sermersooq.gl/da/om_kommune/byerne Sermersooq Municipality] {{in lang|da}}
Administrative divisions
{{main|List of cities and towns in Greenland}}
=[[Ammassalik Municipality|Ammassalik area]]=
- Tasiilaq (Ammassalik)
- Kuummiit (Oscarshavn)
- Kulusuk (Kap Dan)
- Tiniteqilaaq
- Sermiligaaq
- Isortoq
=[[Ittoqqortoormiit Municipality|Ittoqqortoormiit area]]=
- Ittoqqortoormiit (Scoresbysund)
- Itterajivit
=Ivittuut area=
- Kangilinnguit (Grønnedal)
=Nuuk area=
- Nuuk (Godthåb)
- Kapisillit (Lakskaj)
- Qeqertarsuatsiaat (Fiskenæs)
=Paamiut area=
Geography
The municipality is located in south-central and eastern Greenland, with an area of {{convert|531900|km2|mi2|1|abbr=on}}. As of 2018, it is the largest municipality in the world by area, following the split of the former Qaasuitsup.{{cite web|url=http://www.qaasuitsup.gl/Nyheder/2017/12/28_nyehjemmesider?sc_lang=kl-GL|title=Nittartakkat nutaat: avannaata.gl kiisalu qeqertalik.gl|access-date=2018-01-07}} As of January 2013 its population was 17,498.{{cite book
| title = Greenland in Figures 2013
| url = http://www.stat.gl/publ/en/GF/2013/pdf/Greenland%20in%20Figures%202013.pdf
| publisher = Statistics Greenland
| isbn = 978-87-986787-7-9
| issn = 1602-5709
| accessdate = 2 September 2013
}} 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 southwest, Ikka Fjord is best known for its eponymous ikaite columns, of a scale unknown anywhere else.
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 ({{langx|kl|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.[https://sermersooq.gl/da/kommunen/kommunalbestyrelse Sermersooq.gl] "Kommunalbestyrelsen"
===Municipal council===
| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Election ! colspan="6" | Party ! rowspan="2"| Total ! rowspan="2"| Turnout ! rowspan="2"| Elected |
| style="background:{{party color|Solidarity (Greenland)}};"|Atassut
|style="background:{{party color|Democrats (Greenland)}};"|Democrats (Greenland) |style="background:{{party color|Community of the People}};"|Inuit Ataqatigiit |style="background:{{party color|Partii Naleraq}};"|Partii Naleraq |style="background:{{party color|Forward (Greenland)}};"|Siumut |style="background:#8B8989;"|{{tooltip|2=Other|{{font color|white|...}}}} |
| 2008
|2 |5 |7 |style="background:#CDC9C9;" rowspan="3"| |6 |1 |21 |56.8% | |
| 2013
|1 |2 |8 |7 |1 | rowspan="4" |19 |52.7% |Asii Chemnitz Narup (IA) |
| 2017
|1 |3 |9 |6 |style="background:#CDC9C9;" rowspan="2"| |55.8% |rowspan="2"|Charlotte Ludvigsen (IA) |
| 2021
|style="background:#CDC9C9;"| |2 |9 |2 |6 |57.0% |
| 2025
|style="background:#CDC9C9;"| |4 |7 |1 |7 |style="background:#CDC9C9;"| |44.5% |Avaaraq S. Olsen (IA) |
| colspan="14"|Data from [https://valg.gl/resultater Valg.gl] |
Charlotte Ludvigsen stepped down as mayor on 15 June 2022, Avaaraq S. Olsen was elected to replace her.{{cite web | url=https://www.sermitsiaq.ag/samfund/sermersooq-kommunalbestyrelsen-har-godkendt-ny-borgmester/338453|title=Sermersooq: Kommunalbestyrelsen har godkendt ny borgmester|author=Merete Lindstrøm|publication-date=2022-05-31|publisher=Sermitsiaq}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://book.airgreenland.com/ |publisher=Air Greenland |title=Booking system |access-date=12 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422211033/http://book.airgreenland.com/ |archive-date=22 April 2010 }} There are also local flights between Nuuk and Paamiut Airport on the west coast.
Language
{{main|Greenlandic language}}
Kalaallisut is the name of 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
- Ikka Fjord, located in the south of the region
- KANUKOKA
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{commons category inline}}
{{Geographic location
| Centre = Sermersooq
| North = Northeast Greenland National Park
| Northeast =
| East = Greenland Sea
| Southeast =
| South = Kujalleq
| Southwest = Labrador Sea
| West = Qeqertalik / Qeqqata
| Northwest = Avannaata
}}
{{Administrative divisions of Greenland}}
{{Regions of Denmark}}