Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq Audio|Qaqortoq.ogg|pronunciation ( _da. Julianehåb) is a town in southwestern Greenland located at approximately coord|60|43|N|46|02|W. With a population of 3,100, it is South Greenland's most populous town and the fourth most populated town in Greenland. The name is western Greenlandic and means " [the] white [one] ". Qaqortoq is the seat of the Municipality of Qaqortoq which, apart from the town itself, includes three small settlements. Qaqortoq was founded by Norwegian trader Anders Olsen in 1775. Near Qaqortoq are the Hvalsey ruins, the most prominent Norse ruins in Greenland.

It is also home to the oldest fountain in Greenland (for a long time also the only one, but there is another in Sisimiut). A tourist attraction, the fountain depicts whales spouting water out of their blowholes.

References

"Greenland and the Arctic". By Etain O'Carroll and Mark Elliott. Lonely Planet 2005. ISBN 1-74059-095-3.

External links

* [http://qaqortoq.gl/jbl/english/turisme.html qaqortoq.gl] Web site of the municipality of Qaqortoq page (limited information in English)
* [http://www.greenland.com/Towns_and_Regions/South_Greenland/Qaqortoq.php www.greenland.com] Greenland.com information page on Qaqortoq.
* [http://www.qaq.gl/ www.qaq.gl] Qaqortoq Tourist Information
* [http://www.sulisartut.gl/ www.sulisartut.gl] Sulisartut Højskoliat – the Greenlandic workers' folk high school