Qeqertat

Qeqertat (islands)
	K'eĸertat
Commune	Avannaata Communia
District	Qaanaaq
Geographical location	77 ° 29 ′ 39 ″ N , 66 ° 41 ′ 5 ″ W Coordinates: 77 ° 29 ′ 39 ″ N , 66 ° 41 ′ 5 ″ W
Residents	23 ; (January 1, 2020)
Time zone	UTC-3

Qeqertat [ qɜˈqɜtːatˢʰ ] (according to the old spelling K'eĸertat ; Inuktun Qikertat [ qiˈkɜχta (t) ]) is a Greenlandic settlement in the district of Qaanaaq in the Avannaata Kommunia .

location

Qeqertat is located on a small island group of the same name ( Danish Harvard Øer ) in the interior of the Kangerlussuaq ( Inglefield Bredning ) directly in front of the glacier Qaqujaarsuup Sermia ( Heilprin Gletsjer ). It is 61 km to Qaanaaq towards the mouth of the fjord to the west. The now abandoned settlement of Kangerlussuaq used to be 17 km to the southwest .

history

In 1951 Qeqertat had 23 residents. The next year there were 24. In 1953 a smaller number of people came to Qeqertat who had to leave their homeland Uummannaq (Dundas) because of the construction of Thule Air Base . That is why in 1953 Qeqertat already had 33 inhabitants. In 1960 no residents were found in Qeqertat, but in 1970 there were again 64 people living in the village. In 1988 a decision was made to depopulate several of the small settlements in what was then Qaanaaq , including Qeqertat. However, it was never possible for all residents to leave the place. Finally, in 2018, the Greenland government decided that Qeqertat should be given infrastructural support again, which led to criticism from the opposition, as de-urbanization in Greenland would increase economic and financial problems.

economy

Qeqertat is a good hunting area for narwhals and seals . In addition, the halibut fishery is to be expanded. In the absence of a fish factory on site, the fishermen bring their catch to Qaanaaq. Other jobs can only be found in the shop and in the school.

Infrastructure and supply

Qeqertat has no port facility and the fishing boats are right on the beach. Once a year the place is approached by a supply ship. The Qeqertat heliport connects the village to air traffic, but Qeqertat is not included in any regular flight plan.

Because of the recently repealed depopulation plans, there is no state supply structure in Qeqertat and electricity, water and heat are supplied privately with generators, ice melters and oil stoves. In addition, there is no waste regulation, mobile phone or internet in Qeqertat. There is a garbage dump in the north of the village.

Development

The Qeqertat Atuarfiat, which only teaches about two children who have to go to school in Qaanaaq after the sixth grade, shares a building with the church and was built in 1962 and renovated in 2013. A Pilersuisoq branch supplies residents with the essentials. There is also an infirmary in Qeqertat.

Population development

The population of Qeqertat has halved in the last 40 years. After the decision to give up the place, the population fell for a few years, but has remained stable since the mid-1990s. Qeqertat is now the second smallest village in the municipality.