Sullorsuaq Strait

Sullorsuaq Strait
Location within Greenland

Sullorsuaq Strait (old spelling: Suvdlorssuaq, Danish: Vaigat) is a strait on the western coast of Greenland.

Geography

Sullorsuaq Strait looking from the northeast with Nuussuaq Peninsula shoreline on the foreground and Qeqertarsuaq Island on the horizon.

The strait separates Nuussuaq Peninsula in the northeast from Qeqertarsuaq Island in the southwest.[1] The strait waterway connects inner Disko Bay in the southeast with Baffin Bay in the northwest. Qeqertarsuatsiaq Island is located in the northeastern mouth of the strait, where it opens into Baffin Bay. At the southeastern end, the large Alluttoq Island is located in the outlet of the strait, at the confluence with Disko Bay.[2]

History

Archaeological excavations in Qilakitsoq on the northeastern shore revealed the existence of an ancient Arctic culture later named the Saqqaq culture, which is the archaeological designation of the earliest Palaeo-Eskimo culture of west and southeast part of Greenland. The natives inhabited the area of west-central Greenland between 2500 BCE and 800 BCE.[3]

Settlement

Saqqaq is the only settlement in the area, located in the southern part on the shores of Nuussuaq Peninsula. The former coal mining settlement of Qullissat was located on the coast of Disko Island. The entire coast is now uninhabited.

See also

References

  1. Nuussuaq, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
  2. Qeqertarsuup Tunua, Saga Map, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
  3. The Greenland Research Centre at the National Museum of Denmark

External links


Coordinates: 70°12′N 53°00′W / 70.200°N 53.000°W / 70.200; -53.000

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, February 26, 2012. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.