Fjords & Glaciers of Greenland’s Kujalleq Region
Though we haven’t actually been down there, we thought that this aerial display of some of the most dramatic glaciers on Earth deserved a shout. Greenland is the world’s largest island, and is located between Canada’s arctic archipelago and Northern Europe. It is physiographically part of North America, but politically and culturally part of Europe due to its longtime connection to Denmark (and before that, to Norway, thanks Vikings). Sparsely inhabited, the whole island is home to about 56,000 people (there are more people living in the rural Irish county of Sligo!) making it the least densely-populated territory in the world. Most inhabitants are ethnic Greenlandic Inuit and are scattered across 60 some settlements, all coastal, mostly on the southwest coast, with fishing as the predominant industry. The rather enormous ice sheet that covers the large island means that glaciers are fairly common – but common or not, they are very dramatic. Like Greenland itself, most fjords and glaciers of Greenland are very hard to get to, and very few actually occur close to a town or village (according to Visit Greenland, most visitors either drive to Kangerlussuaq, helicopter to Nuuk or Illulissat or hike down to Narsarsuaq, though it is apparently a strenuous hike). That is what makes flying over these fjords and glaciers so magical – Greenland’s glaciers are so remote that they are visible only to a few. Glaciers, one must remember, are rivers of ice, and though they look stable, they are constantly moving (just very slowly!), and they play an important role in the planet’s ecosystem.
Pro tip: Netflix documentary One Strange Rock explores the importance of glaciers and their planetary interconnected role with the salt fields and deserts of Africa, the Amazon forest of Brazil, the mountains of South America and microorganisms of the world’s oceans. Visiting Greenland and want to get out to see the glaciers? A guide is definitely necessary – the harsh conditions, lack of waymarked paths, delicate ecosystems and danger of treacherous crevasses and unstable pinnacles all mean that an experienced mountain guide is mandatory.
More of Northern Europe
- Fantoft Stave Church – Norway
- Hallgrimkirja – Iceland
- Copenhagen – Denmark
- Sognefjord – Norway
- Tallinn – Estonia
- Outer Hebrides – Scotland
- Stockholm – Sweden
- Gauja River Valley – Latvia
- St Petersburg – Russia
- Aurlandsvangen, Norway
Top Most Beautiful Places in Europe 