King Frederick VI Coast

Not to be confused with King Frederick VIII Land
King Frederick VI Coast
Kong Frederik VI Kyst
Region

A fjord in southeast Greenland seen from the NASA P-3B during an IceBridge glacier survey.


Location of King Frederick VI Coast

Country Greenland
Dimensions
 • Length 590 km (370 mi)
Elevation 800 m (2,600 ft)

King Frederick VI Coast (Danish: Kong Frederik VI Kyst)[1] is a major geographic division of Greenland. It comprises the coastal area of Southeastern Greenland in Sermersooq and Kujalleq municipalities fronting the Irminger Sea of the North Atlantic Ocean.[2] It is bordered by King Christian IX Land on the north and the Greenland Ice Sheet to the west.

The King Frederick VI Coast stretches for about 590 km (370 mi) and is characterized by a succession of short fjords, steep mountains and small coastal islands. There is a narrow belt of ice-free land between the shore and the Inland ice cap, interrupted by active glaciers reaching the shore with the ice limit varying seasonally from year to year. Owing to the movement of pack ice in the area and frequent gale-force winds that sweep down from the Greenland ice cap, it is often difficult to approach or navigate along the coast by ship.[3]

History

This area was inhabited by the Inuit people in the past, but in present times King Frederick VI Coast is practically uninhabited. Numerous coastal islands, including Qulleq, Timmiarmiit and Skjoldungen, have Paleo-Eskimo or ancient Thule culture sites.[4]

Geography

The coast extends from Pikiulleq Bay (former spelling 'Pikiutdleq') in the north to Cape Farewell in the south. Many sections of the shore area of King Frederick VI Coast are very indented with numerous fjords and bays, such as Lindenow Fjord (Kangerlussuatsiaq), Paatusoq, Anorituup Kangerlua, Timmiarmiut Fjord, Napasorsuaq Fjord, Bernstorff Fjord and Umivik Bay. There are numerous active glaciers at the head of the fjords, as well as many coastal islands, such as Upernattivik, Skjoldungen, Timmiarmiit, Queen Louise Island and Iluileq.

Limits of King Frederic VI Coast.
Satellite picture of King Frederick VI Coast.

References

  1. ↑ "Kong Frederik VI Kyst". Mapcarta. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Mills, William J. Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1. p. 349.
  3. ↑ Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 99
  4. ↑ "Jensen, Jens Fog. Paleo-Eskimo sites in Skjoldungen District, South East Greenland". eHRAF Archaeology. Retrieved 18 April 2016.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.