Greenland

Places in Greenland

• Igaliku

  Igaliku is a rare anomaly: a working farm village in Greenland, surrounded by sheep pastures and gentle slopes rather than ice and rock. The settlement has Viking heritage — Garðar Cathedral was once the seat of the Greenlandic bishop — making it one of the most historically significant tiny places in the country.

  Atlas entry

• Ilulissat

  Ilulissat means "City of Icebergs" and lives up to its name: the Ilulissat Ice Fjord nearby churns out giant icebergs from the most active glacier in the world. The town of 4,600 people shares its streets with nearly 3,500 sled dogs, and the setting—where the icefjord meets Disko Bay—is one of Greenland’s most dramatic.

  Atlas entry

• Kangerlussuaq

  Kangerlussuaq is Greenland's main international gateway, serving as the primary entry point for most visitors flying from Copenhagen. The settlement sits at the end of a long fjord with the massive Greenland Ice Sheet beginning just 20 km east, offering easy access to one of Earth's most dramatic landscapes.

  Atlas entry

• Nanortalik

  Nanortalik is one of southern Greenland's larger settlements with about 1,256 residents, named 'the polar bear place' in Greenlandic. While polar bear sightings are now rare, a few drift in during spring on ice from eastern Greenland.

  Atlas entry

• Narsarsuaq

  Narsarsuaq is a small village in Southern Greenland built around its airport, which was constructed in 1941 by the US military and now handles commercial flights. While the village itself is unremarkable—just buildings serving the airport—the surrounding area offers spectacular Arctic scenery including the Narsarsuaq Glacier, Flower Valley, and iceberg-filled fjords.

  Atlas entry

• Nuuk

  Nuuk is Greenland's capital and administrative centre, home to about 15,000 people — roughly a quarter of the country's entire population. The city offers a rare blend of Arctic wilderness access and urban conveniences, including the only shopping mall in Greenland.

  Atlas entry

• Qaqortoq

  Qaqortoq is the largest city in southern Greenland, home to more than 3,000 residents — nearly half the entire southern coastline population. It serves as the main hub for exploring the region, with a small-town Arctic feel, colorful painted houses, and access to the UNESCO-listed Kujataa World Heritage site.

  Atlas entry

• Sisimiut

  Sisimiut is Greenland's second-largest town with about 5,500 inhabitants, offering a more accessible and less touristy Arctic experience than Nuuk. The town sits beneath the dramatic Palasip Qaqqaa massif and serves as a gateway to traditional Inuit culture without the capital city's prices and crowds.

  Atlas entry

• Tasiilaq

  Tasiilaq (also called Ammassalikk) is a remote Arctic village on Greenland's east coast, founded by Danish explorers in 1894. The village sits around a harbor surrounded by high mountains, offering dramatic scenery and access to some of the Arctic's most pristine wilderness.

  Atlas entry