- Moriusaq
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Moriusaq Location within Greenland
MoriusaqCoordinates: 76°45′03″N 69°50′55″W / 76.75083°N 69.84861°WCoordinates: 76°45′03″N 69°50′55″W / 76.75083°N 69.84861°W State 
Kingdom of DenmarkConstituent country 
GreenlandMunicipality Qaasuitsup Population (2010) - Total 2 Time zone UTC-04 Postal code 3970 Pituffik Moriusaq (also: Moriussaq) is a moribund settlement which in 2009 had only 2 remaining inhabitants.[1] It is located in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland, approximately 42 km (26.1 mi) to the northwest of the Thule Air Base, and 83 km (51.6 mi) to the southwest of Qaanaaq. Hunting and fishing resources in the area are plentiful, particularly fish, narwhals, seal, and polar bears.
Facilities
Moriusaq used to offer its inhabitants direct TV and radio broadcasting, Internet access, private telephones, and a small power station for electricity, costing tax payers 2 million DKK (US$330.000) annually, but due to the small population, a moratorium on these services is imminent. Moriusaq had a small store, and the so called "recreation building" housed a school, a church, and even a small library, but all services are suspended at present. In 2007, the school closed, and the last teacher left for Qaanaaq because there were no school-aged children living in the settlement.[2]
Population decline
Moriusaq was established in 1963, and it reached a population peak in 1980, when the census reported 80 inhabitants, but it quickly dropped to 39 in 1998. In the last several years, nearly all families have moved away, particularly to Qaanaaq, where the infrastructure is better and services are thus more readily available, making it the destination of choice despite the social problems prevalent in the town.
In the 2009 census, the population of Moriusaq was 5, which dropped from 21 according to the 2005 census. Two of the remaining villagers were already permanently living in Qaanaaq although they are listed as inhabitants of Moriusaq.
Further, a case of self-defense[3] in 2009 decreased the remaining population, effectively leaving the settlement with only 2 inhabitants in 2010.[4] The settlement is very likely to be closed in the future.[5]
Moriusaq population growth dynamics in the last two decades. Source: Statistics Greenland[4]
References
- ^ Sermitsiaq (Danish)
- ^ Visiting Moriusaq (Danish)
- ^ Sermitsiaq (Danish)
- ^ a b Statistics Greenland
- ^ Sermitsiaq (Danish)
Categories:- Populated places in Greenland
- Populated places of Arctic Greenland
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