- Aasiaat
Infobox Settlement
name = Aasiaat
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pushpin_map_caption =Location within Greenland
pushpin_mapsize =300
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =Kingdom of Denmark
subdivision_type1 = Province
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subdivision_type2 = Municipality
subdivision_name2 =Aasiaat
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population_as_of = 2005
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population_total =3310
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latd=68 |latm=43 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=52 |longm=53 |longs= |longEW=W
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postal_code =3950
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footnotes =Aasiaat ( _da. Egedesminde, old spelling: "Ausiait") is
Greenland 's fourth-largest town and at the same time a municipality (Aasiaat Kommuneat). The municipality covers severalisland s at the southern end ofDisko Bay (AasiaatArchipelago in west-centralGreenland . The approximate location of Aasiaat town is coord|68|43|N|52|53|W.It is one of two Greenlandic municipalities that do not occupy any portion of the main island of Greenland, the other one being
Qeqertarsuaq . As ofJanuary 1 2005 , the municipality had a population of 3 310, on an area of 4000 km². Aasiaat is sometimes referred to as the "Town of the Whales" [http://www.greenland-guide.gl/aasiaat-tourist/default.php] , sincemarine mammal s such aswhale s and seals are a common sight.Geography
The largest island of the Aasiaat archipelago is Saqqarliup Nunaa, which is uninhabited, but has buildings to accommodate tourists. On the western tip of the island is the abandoned village of Manermiut.The total population of the municipality is spread among three settlements (population figures all as of (
1 January 2005 ):
#The town of Aasiaat, pop. 3 100, is on the namesake island just northwest of Saqqarliup Nunaa.
#The village ofAkunnaaq (Akúnâk), pop. 101, is on the namesake island just northeast of Saqqarliup Nunaa, 23 km ENE of Aasiaat town.
#The village ofKitsissuarsuit , pop. 109, is on the small namesake island (Danish Hunde Ejland, for the village and the island), 21 km northwest of Aasiat town.Another abandoned village is Vester Ejland on the namesake island, the westernmost of the archipelago, 29 km WSW of Aasiaat town.
Etymology
In Greenlandic, Aasiaat means "Spiders". The exact explanation for this is yet to be determined because of the lack of historical facts of the origin of the name. The most common assumption is that when the city, which was a mere settlement back then, was founded, it was abundant with spiders. As of now, spiders, like in the rest of Greenland, are rarely seen in the city.
History
Native peoples
Archaeological projects in the region have suggested human habitation in the region that includes Aasiaat as far back as the
5th millennium BC . The earliest modern settlers dated to around 1200; these were probably subsistence hunters. These inhabitants huntedharp seal s andcapelin ("ammassaat") nearSydøst Bay in the spring. In the summer, they moved toNordre Strømfjord forreindeer andhalibut . In autumn, the people of Disko Bay returned home to hunt small harp seals. In the winter, thebay froze over, and they huntednarwhal s and Beluga whales. These early people designed and built their ownkayak s andumiak s when the water freed up; in the winter, they useddogsled s.Early history of Aasiaat
The settlement that would become Aasiaat was founded in 1759 by
Niels Egede , the sonHans Egede a Norwegian missionary. Named Egedesminde Colony after him, it was located north of Nordre Strømfjord, and was 125 km south of Aasiaat's current location. The town was moved to its current site in 1763. Most villagers were whalers, and thesmallpox germs they carried to the region was harmful to the native population, especially in the 1770s. But by the beginning of the 19th century, the population had stabilized and was rising slowly. It grew from 390 in 1805 to 1,269 in 1901.Early 20th century
Aasiaat saw much growth in the first half of the 20th century.
Aasiaat in World War II
On
May 3 ,1940 , a treaty signed in Godhavn allowed American relief airplanes bound for theBritish Isles to use Greenlandic,Iceland ic, and Scottishairspace . A result ofWorld War II was the fact thatDenmark , under the control ofNazi Germany , could not freely send supplies to Greenland; this task fell to the United States andCanada . Supplies were stored near Aasiaat, and were then transferred to other towns of the region, such asUummannaq andSisimiut .Post-War
Aasiaat has grown much since the war. A
weather station was constructed in 1942 by the Americans.Cod , an economically popular fish since the 1930s, were caught and sent to a new factory to be salted and packed. Other businesses sprang up, accommodating to the resources and climate of the region. This boom reached its peak in the 1950s, when apower plant andtelecommunications station were installed.In 1998, a new
landing strip was opened to the public (previously aheliport was the only aerial facility); it is near ashrimp processing factory. Today, almost 4,800 people live in the Aasiaat and its neighboring district,Kangaatsiaq .Air Greenland operates air services to Aasiaat.Economy
Fishing of shrimp andcrab s,shipbuilding , andtourism are the primary economic activities of the region.Education
Aasiaat has four schools: a regular school (Gammeqarfik), a
vocational school (GU Aasiaat), a school for the physically disabled (Ado Lyngep Atuarfia), and a school formusician s (Aasiaat Music-school).Tourism
The area in and around the municipality offers many services for tourists, including
kayaking ,cross-country skiing ,dogsledding , andwhale-watching .ee also
*
Aasiaat Rock Festival References
External links
* [http://www.aasiaat.gl/english/defaultUK.htm Official site]
* [http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Aasiaat&w=all Images at Flickr]
* [http://www.greenland-guide.gl/aasiaat-tourist/ Aasiaat Tourist Service]
* [http://www.gu-aasiaat.gl]References
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