Nuuk

Nuuk [no͞ok]

another name for GODTHÅB

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Nuuk (no͝ok)

See Godthåb.

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or Godthåb

City (pop., 2000 est.: 13,838), capital of Greenland.

Located on the southwestern coast near the mouth of Godthåb Gulf, it is Greenland's main port. The modern city dates from 1721, when a Norwegian missionary founded a colony near the site of Vesterbygden, a 10th-century Norse settlement. It is the seat of the parliament and supreme court and has foreign consulates, a teachers' college, and research stations. Government administration, hunting, fishing, and farming are the main occupations. Most transportation is by boat or helicopter.

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▪ Greenland

also spelled  Nûk , Danish  Godthåb  

  capital and main port of Greenland, on the southwestern coast, near the mouth of the Godthåb Fjord, an inlet of the Davis Strait, and the mountain landmarks Sermitsiaq (“Saddle Island”) and Hjortetakken (“Deer Antlers”). The modern town dates from 1721, when Hans Egede, a Norwegian missionary, founded a colony near the site of Vesterbygden, a 10th-century Norse settlement. Nuuk is the seat of the Parliament (Landsting) and Supreme Court and has foreign consulates, a university, vocational training schools, a hospital, and radio and television stations. Important economic activities include government administrative work, education, health care, and other services, as well as hunting, fishing, fish and shrimp processing, and shipbuilding and repair. Flights link Nuuk with other towns in Greenland and with the airport at Kangerlussuaq, which has connecting flights to Copenhagen. Pop. (2005 est.) 14,501.

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