Kangerlussuaq
Kangerlussuaq
Søndre Strømfjord | |
|---|---|
Residential houses East of Kangerlussuaq Airport | |
Kangerlussuaq Location within Greenland | |
| Coordinates: 67°00′31″N 50°41′21″W / 67.00861°N 50.68917°W | |
| State | Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country | Greenland |
| Municipality | Qeqqata |
| Built as military base | 1941 |
| Transitioned to settlement | 1992 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Albrecht Kreutzmann |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 399 |
| Time zone | UTC−02:00 (Western Greenland Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−01:00 (Western Greenland Summer Time) |
| Postal code | 3910 |
Kangerlussuaq (Greenlandic pronunciation: [kaˌŋɜˈɬːusːuɑq]; lit. 'Big Fjord'; Danish: Søndre Strømfjord) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality located at the head of the fjord of the same name. The town and airport were built as a U.S. base during and after World War II, when the site was known as Bluie West-8 and then Sondrestrom Air Base, but transitioned to a Greenlandic settlement in 1992. Kangerlussuaq Airport was Greenland's primary air transport hub until the rebuilt and expanded Nuuk Airport opened in 2024.
The Kangerlussuaq area is also home to Greenland's most diverse terrestrial fauna, including muskoxen, caribou, and gyrfalcons. The settlement's economy and population of 399 is almost entirely reliant on the airport and tourist industry. It is the only town in Greenland which is not located on the proper ocean, being situated at the end of a 160 km long fjord, although it still has a coastline on the ocean.