State Kingdom of Denmark Time zone UTC-04 Local time Wednesday 5:31 PM Municipality Qaasuitsup | Constituent country Greenland Postal code 3971 Qaanaaq Population 68 (2010) Number of airports 1 | |
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Weather -27°C, Wind NE at 23 km/h, 54% Humidity | ||
Siorapaluk (West Greenlandic) or Hiurapaluk (Polar Eskimo) (IATA: SRK) is a settlement in the Qaanaaq area of the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It is one of the world's northernmost inhabited settlements and the northernmost settlement inhabited by natives. It has a population of 68, who speak the Inuktun language of the Polar Inuit as well as the Kalaallisut dialect of Greenlandic. Many of the inhabitants are direct descendants of the last migration of Inuit from Canada in the 20th century.
Contents
Map of Siorapaluk, Greenland
Fauna
There is good hunting in the area of the settlement, and the cliffs around it function as breeding grounds for dovekie (Alle alle) – also known as "auk" – and the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia). There are many Arctic foxes and Arctic hares in the area and an abundance of seals and walruses which are hunted.
Infrastructure
Siorapaluk has an electrical power plant, direct satellite radio and TV-broadcasting, a well stocked store and telephone service. The settlement's school is combined with its church and a small public library. Although there are no resident medical facilities, the settlement is visited regularly by a physician and a dentist.
Transport
Air Greenland operates settlement flights to Qaanaaq Airport and to Savissivik Heliport via Thule Air Base. The distance to Qaanaaq is 45 km. The twice-weekly flights are subsidized by the Government of Greenland. Transfers at the airbase are subject to access restrictions by the Danish Foreign Ministry.