Deep Greenland Expedition: Disko Bay & the Northwest

Kangerlussuaq (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality, located at the head of a fjord of the same name, and just inside the Arctic Circle. The town lies between glacial-fed Qinnguata Kuussua river to the SE, fjord to the SW, and hills rising sharply to 400m to the north. Russell Glacier and the Greenland ice sheet lie about 22km further east. Read more about Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Qeqertarsuaq (Danish, Godhavn) is a port and town on Disko Island off the west coast of Greenland, about 320 km inside the Arctic Circle. Established as a Danish whaling town in 1773, hunting and fishing are still the main occupations of the 900 inhabitants. From the sea the town’s colourful homes are reflected in the still water peppered by icebergs – every building functional, colourful, backed by jagged peaks covered by streaky summer clouds. Read more about Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland

Uummannaq (Umanak) is a town in northwestern Greenland, located 590 km north of the Arctic Circle, on an island in the south-central arm of the fjord all sharing the same name. It is situated on a heartshaped island, hence its name which means 'heartlike place'. It is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Read more about Uummannaq, Greenland

Siorapaluk (West Greenlandic) or Hiurapaluk (Polar Eskimo) is a settlement in the Qaanaaq area of the Avannaata municipality in northern Greenland. It lies 1250 km above the Arctic Circle, at the southern end of Nares Strat that separates Greenland and Ellesmere Island (Canada). Siorapaluk is one of the world's northernmost inhabited settlements and the northernmost settlement inhabited by natives. Read more about Siorapaluk, Greenland

Qaanaaq, formerly Thule, (population 626) lies on the NW coast of Greenland, almost mid-way between the Arctic Circle and the Geographic North Pole. This is the second most northerly town in the world. The Thule Air Base, in an enclave, since the 1950s was a strategic air base during the Cold War and base for a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System radar site. Read more about Qaanaaq (Thule), Greenland

Upernavik is a small coastal town (population 1100) on the west coast of Greenland, and was the northernmost point to which Vikings ventured. It lies bout 700 km above the Arctic Circle. The town is located within the vast Upernavik Archipelago, about 700 km inside the Arctic Circle. Read more about Upernavik, Greenland

Eqip Sermia – Eqi Glacier – is located in West Greenland, 70 km north of Ilulissat settlement, and 260 km inside the Arctic Circle. Many visitors view the impressive glacier which has a 3.5 kilometre wide face and is constantly calving icebergs into the sea. The glacier has retreated about three kilometres over the past 100 years. Read more about Eqip Sermia, Greenland

Ilulissat (the Kalaallisut word for "Icebergs"), the third largest settlement in Greenland, is located on its west coast 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. It is a most popular tourist destination in Greenland on account of its proximity to the picturesque Ilulissat Ice fjord 3km to the south, named a World Heritage Site in 2004. Giant icebergs calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier flow into Disco Bay thence David Strait, and ships have to navigate between these mountains of ice. Read more about Ilulissat, Greenland

Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately 320 km north of Nuuk, and about 42km inside the Artic Circle (April 2017). It is the administrative center of the region and the second-largest town in Greenland. As the northernmost year-round ice-free port in the country, it is an important shipping hub for outlying settlements. Read more about Sisimiut, Greenland

Kangerlussuaq (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality, located at the head of a fjord of the same name, and just inside the Arctic Circle. The town lies between glacial-fed Qinnguata Kuussua river to the SE, fjord to the SW, and hills rising sharply to 400m to the north. Russell Glacier and the Greenland ice sheet lie about 22km further east. Read more about Kangerlussuaq, Greenland