Kangerlussuaq is a settlement in west Greenland at the head of a fjord of the same name. Kangerlussuaq is the Greenlandic word for 'Big Fjord' and is sometimes known by its Danish name of Sondre Stromfjord. Kangerlussuaq was also known as Bluie West Eight during its time as an American military base.
Permanent settlement of the site at the east end of Kangerlussuaq fjord commenced in 1941. Following the fall of Denmark to Germany in World War II, responsibility for the security of Greenland passed to the American military. Military leaders responded by building several bases in Greenland, the largest of which were Bluie West One in Narsassuaq in southern Greenland and Bluie West Eight at the Kangerlussuaq fjord. These two sites remain Greenland's best equipped airports. Kangerlussuaq became an important stopover point for cargo bound from the United States to Europe. The base returned briefly to Danish control in 1950 but, following mounting concerns about the Cold War threat, a renewed agreement saw the United States retake control of the base in 1951. It served as an early warning base and a supply station for similar early warning facilities. Following the fall of the Soviet Union the usefulness of the base was greatly diminished and the last American soldier left the base on September 30, 1992. The base subsequently came under Greenlandic Home Rule control and was renamed Kangerlussauq. Almost all of the permanent structures in the town were built during the American occupation of the site.
As the only airport in Greenland to be large enough to support jumbo jets, Kangerlussuaq is Greenland's most important transport hub. Six flights weekly arrive from Copenhagen and connect to internal flights to the capital Nuuk and Ilulissat amongst other locations. The Kangerlussuaq area is also home to Greenland's most diverse land-based wildlife (such as musk oxen, caribou and Gyrfalcons). The combination of these two factors has made Kangerlussauq a significant tourist centre for most of the year. The settlement's economy and population of 500 is now almost completely reliant on the airport and tourist industry.
History
Kangerlussuaq today
