View source for Nuuk

{{short description|Capital and largest city of Greenland}}
{{For|the album by Thomas Köner|Nuuk (album){{!}}''Nuuk'' (album)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Nuuk
| image_skyline      = {{Photomontage
|photo1a = Colorful-nuuk2.jpg
|photo1b = Nuuk June2022.jpg
| photo2a = Nuuk and Katuaq - Visit Greenland.jpg
| photo2b = Nuuk city below Sermitsiaq.JPG
| photo3a = Nuussuaq-district-nuuk-aerial.jpg
| photo3b = Qernertunnguit.jpg
| photo4a = Nuuk, Greenland skyline at night under the northern lights (Quintin Soloviev).png
| color_border              = white
| color                     = white
| spacing = 2
| size = 280
| position=center
}}
| image_caption      = (left to right, top to bottom:) Skyline at night; Church; Downtown Nuuk, with [[Katuaq]] in the foreground; [[Sermitsiaq (mountain)|Sermitsiaq]] mountain overlooking Nuussuaq; [[Nuussuaq (district)|Nuussuaq]] district; [[Qernertunnguit]], neighbourhood in the [[Quassussuup Tungaa]] district; the skyline at night with the [[aurora borealis]] above
| image_flag         = Flag of Nuuk.svg
| image_shield       = [[File:Coat of arms of Nuuk.svg|50px]]
| type               = [[Capital city]]
| shield_size        = 
| pushpin_map        = Greenland#North America
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within [[Greenland]]
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| subdivision_type   = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Flag|Kingdom of Denmark|size=25px}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Countries of the Kingdom of Denmark|Constituent country]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flag|Greenland}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[Administrative divisions of Greenland|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Sermersooq]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|64|10|53|N|51|41|39|W|region:GL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 29 August 1728
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2  = 1728
| founder            = 
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = 
| government_footnotes = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = 
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_sq_mi   = 18.8
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_note          = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 5
| population_footnotes = 
| population_as_of   = 2024
| population_total   = 19,872 ([[List of cities and towns in Greenland|Largest in Greenland]])
| population_note    = {{clarify span|text=City and metropolitan population is co-extensive, the entire Metro area belongs to Nuuk City|date=August 2022}}
| population_demonym = Nuummioq
| timezone1          = [[Western Greenland Time]]
| utc_offset1        = −02:00
| timezone1_DST      = [[Western Greenland Summer Time]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = −01:00
| postal_code_type   = Postal code
| postal_code        = [[List of postal codes in Greenland|3900, 3905]]
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| iso_code           = 
| website            = {{URL|http://www.sermersooq.gl/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Nuuk''' ({{IPA-kl|nuːk|pronunciation|Nuuk.ogg}}; {{lang-da|Nuuk}},<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dsn.dk/ordbog/ro/nuuk/|title=DSN}}</ref> formerly {{lang|da|Godthåb}} {{IPA-da|ˈkʌtˌhɔˀp|}})<ref>The [[Danish orthography|pre-1948 spelling]] was ''Godthaab''.</ref> is the [[capital (political)|capital]] of and [[List of cities and towns in Greenland|most populous city]] in [[Greenland]], an autonomous territory in the [[Kingdom of Denmark]]. Nuuk is the seat of [[Government of Greenland|government]] and the territory's largest cultural and economic center. The major cities from other countries closest to the capital are [[Iqaluit]] and [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]] in [[Canada]] and [[Reykjavík]] in [[Iceland]]. Nuuk contains a third of Greenland's population and its tallest building. Nuuk is also the seat of government for the [[Sermersooq]] [[municipalities of Greenland|municipality]]. In January 2024, it had a population of 19,872.<ref name="bank.stat.gl">{{Cite web |title=Population January 1st by residence type and time |url=https://bank.stat.gl/pxweb/en/Greenland/Greenland__BE__BE01__BE0120/BEXSTA.px/table/tableViewLayout1/ |access-date=2024-06-09 |website=StatBank |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Nuuk is considered a modernized city after the policy began in 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dzik|first=Tony|title=Nuuk, Greenland: Site, Situation, and "The Law of the Primate City"|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328375731|date=October 1, 2018}}</ref>

The city was founded in 1728 by the Dano-Norwegian missionary [[Hans Egede]] when he relocated from the earlier Hope Colony ({{lang|da|Haabets Koloni}}) where he arrived in 1721. The governor [[Claus Paarss]] was part of the relocation. The new colony was placed at the Inuit settlement of Nûk and was named ''Godthaab'' ("Good Hope"). "Nuuk" is the [[Greenlandic language|Greenlandic]] word for "[[headland|cape]]" ({{lang-da|næs}}) and is commonly found in Greenlandic place names. It is so named because of its position at the end of the [[Nuup Kangerlua]] [[fjord]] on the eastern shore of the [[Labrador Sea]]. Its [[latitude]], at 64°11' N, makes it the world's [[List of northernmost items|northernmost]] [[List of national capitals by latitude|capital]], only a few kilometres farther north than the Icelandic capital [[Reykjavík]]. When [[home rule]] was established in 1979, the authorization of place names was transferred to Greenlandic authorities, who subsequently preferred Greenlandic names over Danish ones. The name ''Godthåb'' mostly went out of use over the next two decades.

The campus of the [[University of Greenland]], hosting [[Statistics Greenland]] and the main holdings of the [[Public and National Library of Greenland]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilimmarfik.gl/ |publisher=University of Greenland, Ilimmarfik |title=Velkommen til Ilimmarfik |access-date=11 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711000826/http://www.ilimmarfik.gl/ |archive-date=11 July 2010}}</ref> are at the northern end of the district, near the road to [[Nuuk Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ilisimatusarfik.gl/OmIlisimatusarfik/Kontakt/tabid/61/language/da-DK/Default.aspx |publisher=University of Greenland |title=Kontakt |access-date=11 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712072746/http://www.ilisimatusarfik.gl/OmIlisimatusarfik/Kontakt/tabid/61/language/da-DK/Default.aspx |archive-date=12 July 2010}}</ref>

Nuuk receives its electric power mainly from the renewable energy-powered [[Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant]] by way of a 132 kV powerline crossing [[Ameralik Span|Ameralik fjord]] over a distance of {{cvt|5376|m}}, the world's longest free span.<ref name="North of 56">{{cite web |url=http://northof56.com/energy/article/greenland-hydro-capacity-increases-with-new-plant |title=Greenland hydro capacity increases with new plant |publisher=North of 56 |date=20 August 2013 |access-date=21 December 2015}}</ref><ref name="Arctic Business Network">{{cite web |url=http://arcticbusinessnetwork.blogspot.lu/2014/02/buksefjorden.html |title=Buksefjorden: Grønlands første vandkraftværk satte verdensrekord |publisher=Arctic Business Network |date=19 February 2014 |access-date=21 December 2015 |language=da}}</ref>
{{TOC limit|3}}

== History ==

The site has a long history of habitation. The area around Nuuk was first occupied by the ancient, pre-Inuit, [[Paleo-Eskimo]] people of the [[Saqqaq culture]] as far back as 2200 BC when they lived in the area around the now abandoned settlement of [[Qoornoq]].<ref name="NT">{{cite web |url=http://www.nuuk-tourism.gl/database.asp?lang=eng&num=247 |title=Human history |publisher=Nuuk Tourism |access-date=12 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615005035/http://www.nuuk-tourism.gl/database.asp?lang=eng&num=247 |archive-date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> For a long time, it was occupied by the [[Dorset culture]] around the former settlement of [[Kangeq]], but they disappeared from the Nuuk district before AD 1000. The Nuuk area was later inhabited by [[Vikings|Viking]] explorers in the 10th century ([[Western Settlement]]), and shortly thereafter by [[Inuit]] peoples.<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/422941/Nuuk |title=Nuuk |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] | access-date=12 July 2010}}</ref> Inuit and Norsemen both lived with little interaction in this area from about 1000 until the disappearance of the [[Norsemen|Norse]] settlement [[History of Greenland#Norse settlement|for uncertain reasons]] during the 15th century.

[[File:Egede nuuk.JPG|thumb|left|The statue of [[Hans Egede]] in Nuuk]]

The city proper was founded as the fort of '''Godt-Haab''' in 1728 by the [[list of governors of Greenland|royal governor]] [[Claus Paarss]], when he relocated the missionary and merchant [[Hans Egede]]'s earlier Hope Colony ({{lang|da|Haabets Koloni}}) from [[Kangeq Island]] to the mainland. At that time, Greenland was formally still a [[List of possessions of Norway#Former dependencies and homelands|Norwegian colony]] ([[Treaty of Kiel|until 1814]]) under the united [[list of monarchs of Norway|Dano-Norwegian Crown]], but the colony had not had any contact for over three centuries. Paarss's colonists consisted of mutinous soldiers, convicts, and prostitutes and most died within the first year of scurvy and other ailments. In 1733 and 1734, a [[smallpox]] epidemic killed most of the native population as well as Egede's wife.<ref name="Wurm">{{cite book |last1=Wurm |first1=Stephen A. |last2=Mühlhäusler |first2=Peter |last3=Tyron |first3=Darrell T. |title=Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas, International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glU0vte5gSkC&q=1733+smallpox+nuuk&pg=PA1051 |series=Volume 2, Part 1 Volume 13 of Trends in Linguistics |year=1996 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-013417-9 |page=1051}}</ref> Hans Egede went back to Denmark in 1736 after 15 years in Greenland, leaving his son [[Paul Egede|Poul]] to continue his work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.world66.com/northamerica/greenland/nuuk |title=Nuuk travel guide |access-date=24 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412061523/http://www.world66.com/northamerica/greenland/nuuk |archive-date=12 April 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Godthaab became the seat of government for the Danish colony of [[South Greenland]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Scandinavian Review |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_s5AQAAIAAJ |year=1921 |publisher=American-Scandinavian Foundation. |page=681}}</ref> while [[Godhavn]] (modern Qeqertarsuaq) was the capital of [[North Greenland]] until 1940, when the administration was unified in Godthaab.<ref name="Lemkin2008">{{cite book |last=Lemkin |first=Raphael |title=Axis Rule in Occupied Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y0in2wOY-W0C&pg=PA167 |date=1 June 2008 |publisher=The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. |isbn=978-1-58477-901-8 |page=167}}</ref>

In 1733, [[Moravian mission in Greenland|Moravian missionaries]] received permission to begin a mission on the island; in 1747, there were enough converts to prompt the construction of the [[Moravian Brethren Mission House]] and the formal establishment of the mission as '''New Herrnhut''' ({{lang-da|Nye-Hernhut}}). This became the nucleus for present-day Nuuk as many Greenlanders from the southeastern coast left their territory to live at the mission station. From this base, further missions were established at [[Lichtenfels, Greenland|Lichtenfels]] (1748), [[Lichtenau, Greenland|Lichtenau]] (1774), [[Friedrichsthal, Greenland|Friedrichsthal]] (1824), [[Umanak (mission)|Umanak]] (1861), and [[Idlorpait]] (1864),<ref>[[Cornelia Lüdecke|Lüdecke, Cornelia]]. "[http://www.meteohistory.org/2005historyofmeteorology2/09luedecke.pdf East Meets West: Meteorological observations of the Moravians in Greenland and Labrador since the 18th century] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181730/http://www.meteohistory.org/2005historyofmeteorology2/09luedecke.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}". ''History of Meteorology'' 2 (2005). Retrieved 27 April 2012.</ref> before they were discontinued in 1900 and folded into the Lutheran [[Church of Denmark]].<ref>Wittman, P. "[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06777b.htm Greenland]". ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Robert Appleton Co. (New York), 1909. Retrieved 28 April 2012.</ref>

[[File:Legende børn, ca. 1878 (8473597948).jpg|thumb|left|Nuuk ({{lang-da|Godthåb}}), {{circa}} 1878]]

Around 1850, Greenland, and especially the area around Nuuk, were in crisis. The Europeans had brought diseases and a culture that conflicted with the ways of the native Greenlanders. Many Greenlanders were living in poverty. In 1853, [[Hinrich Johannes Rink]] came to Greenland and was surprised at how local Greenlandic culture and identity had been suppressed under Danish influence. In response, in 1861, he started the ''[[Atuagagdliutt]]'', Greenland's first newspaper, with a native Greenlander as editor. This newspaper based in Nuuk later became an important token of Greenlandic identity.

During [[World War II]], there was a reawakening of Greenlandic national identity. The use of written Greenlandic grew, a council was assembled under [[Eske Brun]]'s leadership in Nuuk. In 1940, an American and a Canadian Consulate were established in Nuuk.

Under new regulations in 1950, two councils amalgamated into one. This Countryside Council was abolished on 1 May 1979, when the city of Godthåb was renamed Nuuk by the Greenland Home Rule government. The city boomed during the 1950s when [[Denmark]] began to modernize Greenland. As in Greenland as a whole, Nuuk is populated today by both Inuit and [[Danish people|Danes]]. Over a third of Greenland's total population lives in the Nuuk Greater Metropolitan area.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/greenland/ |title=CIA World Factbook – Greenland|date=2 March 2022}}</ref>

An article examining indigenous influences on cities worldwide<ref name="daley16">{{cite news |last1=Daley |first1=Paul |title=Which is the world's most indigenous city? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jun/29/which-worlds-most-indigenous-city |access-date=29 June 2016 |work=[[The Guardian]] | date=29 June 2016}}</ref> suggested,
{{blockquote|One city... stands out. Nuuk... has probably the highest percentage of aboriginal people of any city: almost 90% of Greenland's population of 58,000 is Inuit, and at least eight in 10 live in urban settlements. Nuuk also celebrates Inuit culture and history to an extent that is unprecedented in many cities with higher total aboriginal populations. By proportion and by cultural authority and impact, it may well be tiny Nuuk that is the most indigenous city in the world.<ref name="daley16" />
}}

== Geography ==
{{See also|Nuup Kangerlua}}
{{multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = Godthaabsfjord.jpg
| width1 = 200
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Nuukair.jpg
| width2 = 200
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = Left: Satellite view. Right: Aerial view of Nuuk
}}
Nuuk is located at approximately {{Coord|64|10|N|51|44|W}}<ref name="kommune_information">[http://www.kanukoka.gl/data/10801/Kommuneoplysninger.pdf Municipality information.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616062531/http://www.kanukoka.gl/data/10801/Kommuneoplysninger.pdf |date=16 June 2007 }} ''De grønlandske kommuners Landsforening'', KANUKOKA</ref> at the mouth of Nuup Kangerlua (formerly Baal's River<ref>Nicoll, James. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=rGUDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA242 An Historical and Descriptive Account of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands]''. Oliver & Boyd, 1840.</ref>), some {{cvt|10|km|mi}} from the shores of the [[Labrador Sea]] on the southwestern coast of Greenland, and about {{cvt|240|km|mi}} south of the [[Arctic Circle]]. Initially, the fjord flows to the northwest, to then turn southwest at {{coord|64|43|N|50|37|W}}, splitting into three arms in its lower run, with three big islands in between the arms: [[Sermitsiaq Island]], [[Qeqertarsuaq Island (Nuuk)|Qeqertarsuaq Island]], and [[Qoornuup Qeqertarsua]].<ref name="lp">{{cite book |last=O'Carroll |first=Etain |title=Greenland and the Arctic |publisher=Lonely Planet |pages=154 |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-74059-095-2}}</ref> The fjord widens into a bay dotted with [[Skerry|skerries]] near its mouth, opening into Labrador Sea at approximately {{coord|64|03|N|51|58|W}}. Some {{cvt|20|km}} to the northeast, reaching a height of {{cvt|1210|m}}, [[Sermitsiaq (mountain)|Sermitsiaq]] can be seen from almost everywhere in Nuuk. The mountain has given its name to the nationwide newspaper ''[[Sermitsiaq (newspaper)|Sermitsiaq]]''. Closer to the town are the peaks of [[Store Malene]], {{cvt|790|m}}, and [[Lille Malene]], {{cvt|420|m}}.<ref name="dsd" /> The [[magnetic declination]] at Nuuk is extreme.<ref name="magnetic_variation">On 11 October 2015, the [[magnetic declination]] between the [[North Pole]] and Nuuk was "27° 49' W ± 0° 33' changing by 0° 22' E per year", calculated with [[NOAA]]'s [http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/ Magnetic Field Calculators], [[National Geophysical Data Center]].</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.magnetic-declination.com/Greenland/Nuuk/938297.html |title=Magnetic declination in Nuuk, Greenland |publisher=Magnetic Declination |access-date=22 December 2015}}</ref>

{{wide image|StoreMaleneView.jpg|850px|alt=View from the mountain Ukkusissaq|View from the mountain Ukkusissaq, which means "soap stone" (in Danish it is called Store Malene)}}
{{wide image|Nuuk Panorama image.jpg|850px|alt=Panorama of Nuuk|Panorama of Nuuk}}

===Climate===
[[File:Nuuk-30år-Vejrdata1991-2020.png|thumb|right|Climate chart of Nuuk]]
Nuuk has a maritime-influenced [[tundra climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] [[tundra climate|ET]]) with cold, long, snowy winters and cool, short summers. Although the winters in Nuuk are relatively cold, they are milder compared to other tundra climates, such as in [[Alaska]] in the [[United States]] or parts of [[Eastern Siberia]]. Instead, peak winter is similar to identical latitudes in the [[Nordic countries]]. On 21 December, the shortest day and longest night of the year, the sun rises at 11:22 am and sets at 3:28 pm. By contrast, on the longest day and shortest night of the year, 21 June, the sun rises at 3:53 am and does not set until 1:03 am, giving a [[Midnight Sun]]. Nuuk can have mild temperatures on brief occasions year-round, with each month having recorded {{convert|13|C|F}} or warmer, although only June, July, August, and September have recorded what could be considered hot weather (defined as {{convert|22.5|C|F}} or higher). The monthly averages range from {{convert|-9|C|F}} to {{convert|7|C|F}}, whereas all-time extremes range from {{convert|-32.5|C|F}} on 14 January 1984 to {{convert|26.3|C|F}} on 6 July 2008. The record wind in Nuuk is 68&nbsp;km/h.

The average monthly temperature ({{convert|7.4|°C|1}} in July) is colder than what is considered the [[Tree line|limit for trees]] ({{convert|10|°C|0}} during the warmest month). There are a few planted trees<ref>e.g [https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/8059956 Gult] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217053815/https://ssl.panoramio.com/photo/8059956 |date=17 December 2013 }} by Henrik Greve Thorsen</ref> which do not sustain well.

{{Weather box
|location = Nuuk (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1866–present)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|width = 100%
|Jan record high C = 15.3
|Feb record high C = 13.0
|Mar record high C = 15.2
|Apr record high C = 14.6
|May record high C = 18.3
|Jun record high C = 23.8
|Jul record high C = 26.3
|Aug record high C = 25.1
|Sep record high C = 23.8
|Oct record high C = 19.9
|Nov record high C = 15.8
|Dec record high C = 13.3
|year record high C = 26.3
|Jan high C = -5.0
|Feb high C = -6.0
|Mar high C = −5.1
|Apr high C = −0.7
|May high C = 3.9
|Jun high C = 8.4
|Jul high C = 11.1
|Aug high C = 10.2
|Sep high C = 6.5
|Oct high C = 2.3
|Nov high C = −1.1
|Dec high C = −3.2
|year high C = 1.8
|Jan mean C = -7.5
|Feb mean C = -8.6
|Mar mean C = -7.7
|Apr mean C = -3.0
|May mean C = 1.2
|Jun mean C = 5.0
|Jul mean C = 7.4
|Aug mean C = 7.0
|Sep mean C = 4.0
|Oct mean C = 0.2
|Nov mean C = -3.3
|Dec mean C = -5.5
|year mean C = -0.9
|Jan low C = −9.7
|Feb low C = −10.9
|Mar low C = -10.0
|Apr low C = −5.2
|May low C = −1.2
|Jun low C = 2.0
|Jul low C = 4.4
|Aug low C = 4.5
|Sep low C = 2.0
|Oct low C = −1.8
|Nov low C = −5.3
|Dec low C = −7.7
|year low C = −3.3
|Jan record low C = -32.5
|Feb record low C = -29.6
|Mar record low C = -27.5
|Apr record low C = -30.0
|May record low C = -19.0
|Jun record low C = -10.3
|Jul record low C = -6.6
|Aug record low C = -4.7
|Sep record low C = -8.2
|Oct record low C = -16.6
|Nov record low C = -24.4
|Dec record low C = -25.2
|year record low C = -32.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 67.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 51.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 58.9
|Apr precipitation mm = 53.3
|May precipitation mm = 57.4
|Jun precipitation mm = 61.7
|Jul precipitation mm = 69.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 90.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 104.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 80.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 79.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 74.5
|year precipitation mm = 852.6
|snow colour = green
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 13.8
|Feb precipitation days = 12.7
|Mar precipitation days = 15.1
|Apr precipitation days = 13.2
|May precipitation days = 13.0
|Jun precipitation days = 10.5
|Jul precipitation days = 12.5
|Aug precipitation days = 12.5
|Sep precipitation days = 14.1
|Oct precipitation days = 13.5
|Nov precipitation days = 14.3
|Dec precipitation days = 14.4
|year precipitation days = 159.6
|Jan snow days = 13.6
|Feb snow days = 12.1
|Mar snow days = 14.5
|Apr snow days = 11.4
|May snow days = 9.4
|Jun snow days = 2.8
|Jul snow days = 0.1
|Aug snow days = 0.2
|Sep snow days = 4.3
|Oct snow days = 9.8
|Nov snow days = 12.7
|Dec snow days = 13.8
|year snow days = 104.7
|Jan humidity = 73.8
|Feb humidity = 74.7
|Mar humidity = 74.3
|Apr humidity = 78.3
|May humidity = 81.1
|Jun humidity = 85.0
|Jul humidity = 85.3
|Aug humidity = 86.7
|Sep humidity = 82.3
|Oct humidity = 76.7
|Nov humidity = 73.3
|Dec humidity = 73.4
|year humidity = 78.7
|humidity colour = green
|Jan sun = 15.5
|Feb sun = 65.0
|Mar sun = 148.8
|Apr sun = 180.0
|May sun = 189.1
|Jun sun = 204.0
|Jul sun = 195.3
|Aug sun = 164.3
|Sep sun = 141.0
|Oct sun = 80.6
|Nov sun = 30.0
|Dec sun = 6.2
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 0.5
|Febd sun = 2.3
|Mard sun = 4.8
|Aprd sun = 6.0
|Mayd sun = 6.1
|Jund sun = 6.8
|Juld sun = 6.3
|Augd sun = 5.3
|Sepd sun = 4.7
|Octd sun = 2.6
|Novd sun = 1.0
|Decd sun = 0.2
|yeard sun = 3.9
|source 1 = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]]<ref>{{Cite web
|title = Klimanormaler Grønland
|url = http://www.dmi.dk/vejrarkiv/normaler-gronland/
|website = DMI
|language = da
|access-date = 2021-11-26
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240217055709/https://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2000/tr00-18.pdf
|archive-date = 2024-02-17}}</ref><ref name = DMI2>{{cite web
|url = http://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2000/tr00-18.pdf
|title = The Observed Climate of Greenland, 1958–99 with Climatological Standard Normals, 1961–90
|publisher = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]]
|access-date = 31 October 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240217055709/https://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2000/tr00-18.pdf
|archive-date = 2024-02-17}}</ref>
|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),<ref name = meteoclimat>
{{cite web 
|url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=149
|title = Station Nuuk
|publisher = Météo Climat 
|language = fr 
|access-date = 10 February 2019}}</ref> [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (sun 1980–1990),<ref name = DWD>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_042500_kt.pdf
|title = Klimatafel von Godthaab (Nuuk) / Grönland (zu Dänemark)
|work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
|publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
|language = de
|access-date = 16 December 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240217055430/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_042500_kt.pdf
|archive-date = 2024-02-17}}</ref> [[NOAA]] (humidity 1991-2020)<ref name=NOAA>{{cite web
|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/DenmarkGreenland/CSV/Nuuk_04250.csv
|title = Nuuk Climate Normals 1991-2020
|publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
|accessdate = August 11, 2023
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240217055546/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/DenmarkGreenland/CSV/Nuuk_04250.csv
|archive-date = 2024-02-17}}</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
With 19,872 inhabitants as of January 2024,<ref name="bank.stat.gl"/> Nuuk is by far the largest town in Greenland. The population of Nuuk has doubled since 1977, increased by over a third since 1990, and risen by almost 21% since 2000. In addition to those born in Greenland, data from 2015 showed 3,826 were born outside the country.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Greenland in Figures 2021|url=https://stat.gl/publ/en/GF/2021/pdf/Greenland%20in%20Figures%202021.pdf|access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> Attracted by good employment opportunities with high wages, Danes have continued to settle in the town. Today, Nuuk has the highest proportion of Danes of any town in Greenland.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Greenland in Figures 2021|url=https://stat.gl/publ/en/GF/2021/pdf/Greenland%20in%20Figures%202021.pdf|access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref> Half of Greenland's immigrants live in Nuuk, which also accounts for a quarter of the country's native population.<ref name="dsd">{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://denstoredanske.dk/Geografi_og_historie/Gr%C3%B8nland/Gr%C3%B8nlandske_kommuner/Nuuk_Kommune |title=Nuuk Kommune |encyclopedia=Den Store Danske |access-date=21 December 2015 |language=da}}</ref>
{{Graph:Chart|width=900|type=rect|colors=#22C|showValues=
|xAxisTitle=Year
|xAxisAngle=90
|x=1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023
|yAxisTitle=Population
|y=8545,8527,8827,9077,9423,9717,9848,9997,10559,10972,11209,11615,11957,12217,12252,12233,12181,12483,12723,12882,12909,13024,13169,13445,13649,13884,13884,14345,14501,14583,14719,15084,15105,15469,15862,16181,16454,16818,16992,17316,17600,17796,17984,18326,18800,19261,19604}}

== Government ==
As the capital of Greenland, Nuuk is the administrative center of the country, containing all of the important government buildings and institutions. The public sector bodies are also the town's largest employer.<ref name="dsd" />

As of January 2021, the mayor of Nuuk is Charlotte Ludvigsen. She replaced former mayor [[Asii Chemnitz Narup]] in 2019 following a social media scandal involving posts criticizing her party. Like Narup, Ludvigsen is a member of the [[Inuit Ataqatigiit]] party.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arctictoday.com/facebook-faux-pas-fells-popular-nuuk-mayor/ |title=Facebook faux pas fells popular Nuuk mayor |date=12 June 2019 |publisher=Arctic Today |access-date=10 January 2020}}</ref>

Greenland's [[Parliament of Greenland|self-government parliament]], the Inatsisartut, is in Nuuk. It has 31 seats and its members are elected by popular vote on the basis of [[proportional representation]] to serve four-year terms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.inatsisartut.gl/members-of-inatsisartut.aspx |title=Members of Inatsisartut |publisher=Inatsisartut |access-date=21 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304125444/http://en.inatsisartut.gl/members-of-inatsisartut.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> All of Greenland's major political parties have their headquarters in Nuuk, including the Inuit Ataqatigiit, [[Siumut]], [[Democrats (Greenland)|Democrats]], [[Atassut]], [[Association of Candidates]] and the [[Women's Party (Greenland)|Women's Party]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.gl/publ/en/SA/201001/contents/Political%20Parties.htm |title=Political parties in Greenland |publisher=Statistics Greenland |access-date=21 December 2015}}</ref>

=== KANUKOKA ===
{{Main|KANUKOKA}}
KANUKOKA ({{lang-kl|Kalaallit Nunaanni Kommunit Kattuffiat}}) was based in Nuuk. It was an association of Greenland's municipalities, led by Enok Sandgreen.<ref name="reform">{{cite news |url=http://sermitsiaq.gl/leder/article118782.ece |title=Sermitsiaq mener: Hvem ka'? Kanukoka! |work=[[Sermitsiaq (newspaper)|Sermitsiaq]] | date=20 May 2010 |language=da |access-date=9 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523042614/http://sermitsiaq.gl/leder/article118782.ece |archive-date=23 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The aim of the organisation was to facilitate cooperation among all five municipalities of Greenland: [[Avannaata]], [[Kujalleq]], [[Qeqertalik]], [[Qeqqata]], and Sermersooq. However, Sermersooq and Qeqertalik both withdrew and KANUKOKA was dissolved as of Tuesday, 31 July 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://knr.gl/kl/nutaarsiassat/kanukoka-juulip-31-ani-atorunnaartussanngortoq |title=KANUKOKA juulip 31-ani atorunnaartussanngortoq |publisher=Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-date=20 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220151924/https://knr.gl/kl/nutaarsiassat/kanukoka-juulip-31-ani-atorunnaartussanngortoq |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=KANUKOKA har drejet nøglen helt om |url=https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/kanukoka-har-drejet-n%C3%B8glen-helt-om |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=KNR |language=da}}</ref> The organisation ran the municipal elections every four years, with the last election taking place in 2016. All municipal authorities in Greenland were members of the organisation until its 2018 dissolution.<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=http://www.kanukoka.gl/da/om_kanukoka/fakta_om_kanukoka/hvad_er_kanukoka |publisher=KANUKOKA, Official Website |language=da |title=Hvad er KANUKOKA? |access-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721034806/http://www.kanukoka.gl/da/om_kanukoka/fakta_om_kanukoka/hvad_er_kanukoka |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> The association was overseen by [[Maliina Abelsen]], the Minister for Social Affairs in the Government of Greenland.<ref name="reform" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.nanoq.gl/emner/government/departments/ministry_of_social_affairs/minister.aspx |publisher=Government of Greenland |title=Minister for Social Affairs |access-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728092340/http://uk.nanoq.gl/emner/government/departments/ministry_of_social_affairs/minister.aspx |archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Nuuk-port.jpg|thumb|The port of Nuuk]]
[[File:Air Greenland headquarters, Nuuk (Quintin Soloviev).png|thumb|[[Air Greenland]] headquarters in Nuuk]]
Although only a small town, Nuuk has developed trade, business, shipping and other industries. It began as a small fishing settlement with a harbor, but as the economy developed rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, the fishing industry in the capital declined.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cXLAeyDeaUMC&pg=PA118 |first1=Michael |last1=Jones |first2=Kenneth |last2=Olwig |title=Nordic landscapes: region and belonging on the northern edge of Europe |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] | year=2008 |page=118|isbn=9780816639144 }}</ref> The port is nevertheless still home to almost half of Greenland's fishing fleet. The local [[Royal Greenland]] processing plant absorbs landed seafood amounting to over DKK 50 million (US$7&nbsp;million) per annum, mainly (80%) [[shrimp]], but also [[cod]], [[lumpfish]] and [[halibut]].<ref name="dsd" /> Seafood, including seal, is also sold in abundance in Nuuk's fish markets, the largest being [[Kalaaliaraq Market]]. Minerals including [[zinc]] and [[gold]] have contributed to the development of Nuuk's economy.<ref name="Barkham 2016">{{cite news |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |title=Greenland: the country set to cash in on climate change |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 December 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/23/climate-change-in-greenland-adaptation-we-simply-refuse-to-be-victimised |access-date=12 December 2018}}</ref>

The city, like much of Greenland, is heavily dependent upon Danish investment and relies on Denmark for block funding.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hwi0s3I5jLEC&pg=PA164 |title=World of Information Regional Review: Europe |publisher=Kogan Page Publishers |year=2003 |page=164 |isbn=978-0-7494-4067-1}}</ref>

=== Energy ===
All of Greenland's electricity is supplied by the government-owned company [[Nukissiorfiit]], which has a [[monopoly]] on the electricity in Greenland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nukissiorfiit.gl/nukissiorfiit/oqaluttuarisaaneq/?lang=da |title=Historie |publisher=Nukissiorfiit |access-date=21 December 2015 |language=da |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727075726/http://www.nukissiorfiit.gl/nukissiorfiit/oqaluttuarisaaneq/?lang=da |archive-date=27 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 1993, Nuuk has received its electric power mainly from [[Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant]] by way of a 132&nbsp;kV powerline crossing [[Ameralik Span|Ameralik fjord]] over a distance of {{cvt|5376|m}}, the world's longest free span.<ref name="North of 56"/><ref name="Arctic Business Network"/>

=== Education ===
[[File:Ilisimatusarfik-university-of-greenland.jpg|thumb|[[University of Greenland]]]]
Nuuk has several educational institutions of higher learning. The [[University of Greenland]] (Ilisimatusarfik), the only university in Greenland, is in Nuuk. The university was founded in 1987 and expanded in 2007 with the new building, ''Ilimmarfik'', housing departments of journalism, management and economics, language, literature and media, cultural and social history, theology and religion and social work. Nuuk is also home to the Department of Learning (Ilinniarfissuaq), the oldest educational facility in Greenland, in the old colonial part of Nuuk (''Nuutoqaq'': Old Nuuk). Other notable educational institutions include the Department of Nursing and Health Science, Nuuk Technical College and the Iron & Metal School.

=== Healthcare ===
[[File:Queen Ingrid's Health Center Entrance 2023.jpg|thumb|Queen Ingrid's Health Center]]
The city is served by [[Queen Ingrid's Hospital#Queen Ingrid's Health Center|Queen Ingrid's Health Center]]. The health center serves as the regional health center for Region Sermersooq. It has an emergency room, and a central clinic with several [[general practitioner]]s.  [[Queen Ingrid's Hospital#Queen Ingrid's Health Center|Queen Ingrid's Health Center]] is the central hospital for Greenland.

=== Tourism ===
The [[Nuuk Tourist Office]] was built in 1992 to house the headquarters of the new National Tourist Board of Greenland.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x7v0M2mZHpMC&q=Nuuk+Tourist+Office&pg=PA1458 |title=Europa World Year, Book 1 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-85743-254-1 |page=1458}}</ref>

=== Shopping ===
Shops in Nuuk offer local art and craftwork. In July 2012, Greenland's first shopping center, [[Nuuk Center]] ''(NC)'', opened. The center has Greenland's first underground parking. Several supermarkets exist, such as Nuuk Center, [[Pisiffik]], [[Brugseni]], and [[Spar (retailer)|Spar]].

== Transportation ==
[[File:Nuuk main road.JPG|thumb|Nuuk's main road Aqqusinersuaq with [[Hotel Hans Egede]] on the right]]
[[File:H.J. Rinkip Aqqutaa, Nuuk, Greenland (Quintin Soloviev).png|thumb|H.J. Rinkip Aqqutaa road]]

=== Airport ===
{{Main|Nuuk Airport}}
Nuuk has an international airport {{cvt|4|km|mi}} to the northeast of the town center. Built in 1979, it is a hub for [[Air Greenland]], which is also headquartered in Nuuk<ref>{{cite web |url=http://airgreenland.com/kontakt/ |title=airgreenland.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426004444/http://airgreenland.com/kontakt/ |archive-date=26 April 2010}}</ref> and operates its technical base at the airport. There are flights inside Greenland and to Iceland. A decision has been made to extend the runway to allow for flights to European destinations, such as Denmark.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kair.gl/enda/projectskalaallit-airports-international-a-s/nuuk/|title=Nuuk – Kalaallit Airports Holding A/S}}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Sea ===
As a result of the high cost of flying goods to Greenland, Nuuk and other towns in Greenland are connected to Denmark by cargo vessels which sail mainly from [[Aalborg]] during the warmer months after the winter ice has melted. They bring clothing, flour, medicine, timber and machinery and return with deep-frozen shrimp and fish.<ref name="dsf" /> For most of the year, Nuuk is served twice-weekly by the coastal ferry of the [[Arctic Umiaq Line]], which links the communities of the western coast.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aul.gl/images/stories/pdf/fartplan%2009.pdf |publisher=Arctic Umiaq Line |title=AUL, Timetable 2009 |access-date=13 July 2010}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

=== Roadways ===
[[File:Nuuk bus.jpg|thumb|A [[bus]] in Nuuk]]
The majority of buses and cars owned in Greenland operate in Nuuk.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Carroll |first=Etain |title=Greenland and the Arctic |publisher=Lonely Planet |pages=231 |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-74059-095-2}}</ref> There are no roads connecting Nuuk with other areas of Greenland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europas-lande.dk/dan/Lande/Gr%C3%B8nland/Erhverv%20og%20%C3%B8konomi/Infrastruktur/mellem/ |title=Grønland: Infrastruktur |publisher=Europas-Lande.dk |access-date=22 December 2015 |language=da |archive-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223043720/http://europas-lande.dk/dan/Lande/Gr%C3%B8nland/Erhverv%20og%20%C3%B8konomi/Infrastruktur/mellem/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The main street in Nuuk is [[Aqqusinersuaq]], with a number of shops and the 140-room [[Hotel Hans Egede]].<ref>[http://www.hhe.gl/index.asp?side_id=1 Hotel Hans Egede] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605114935/http://www.hhe.gl/index.asp?side_id=1 |date=5 June 2010 }}</ref>

Since 2009, the city bus service [[Nuup Bussii]] provides city transport services in Nuuk for the [[Sermersooq]] municipality,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sermersooq.gl/da/presse/nyheder/2010/juni/busselskab_aendrer_vedtaegter.aspx |publisher=[[Sermersooq]] Municipality, Official Website |title=Nuup Bussii udvider bestyrelsen |language=da |access-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630004055/http://www.sermersooq.gl/da/presse/nyheder/2010/juni/busselskab_aendrer_vedtaegter.aspx |archive-date=30 June 2010}}</ref> linking the town center with the airport, the outlying districts and neighborhoods<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sermersooq.gl/da/borger/fysisk_planlaegning/lokalplaner_og_kommuneplantillaeg/lokalplaner_og_kommuneplantillaeg_for_nuuk.aspx |publisher=[[Sermersooq]] Municipality, Official Website |title=Lokalplaner og kommuneplantillæg for Nuuk |language=da |access-date=13 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721033017/http://www.sermersooq.gl/da/borger/fysisk_planlaegning/lokalplaner_og_kommuneplantillaeg/lokalplaner_og_kommuneplantillaeg_for_nuuk.aspx |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> of [[Nuussuaq (district)|Nuussuaq]], [[Qinngorput]], as well as [[Qernertunnguit]] in [[Quassussuup Tungaa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bus.gl/ |publisher=Nuup Bussii, Official Website |title=Nuup Bussii A/S |access-date=13 July 2010}}</ref> In 2012, the buses transported more than 2 million passengers around the city of Nuuk.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bus.gl/om-nb.html |title=Om NB |publisher=Nuup Bussi |access-date=22 December 2015 |language=da |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504185057/http://www.bus.gl/om-nb.html |archive-date=4 May 2016}}</ref>

== Cityscape ==
[[File:Tuapannguit buildings, Nuuk, Greenland (Quintin Soloviev).png|thumb|Tuapannguit low-rise residential buildings in Nuuk]]

=== Historical buildings ===
;Hans Egede's House
[[Hans Egede House|Hans Egede's House]], built in 1721 by the Norwegian missionary Hans Egede, is the oldest building in Greenland. Standing close to the harbor among other old houses, it is now used for government receptions.<ref name="dsf">{{cite book |title=De Store Fagbøger. Grønland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K2JYtxDtXEMC&pg=PT37 |year=2004 |publisher=Gyldendal Uddannelse |isbn=978-87-02-02629-0 |pages=37–}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/greenland/nuuk-town-godthab/sights/other/hans-egede-house |title=Hans Egede House |publisher=Lonely Planet |access-date=22 December 2015 |archive-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223014736/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/greenland/nuuk-town-godthab/sights/other/hans-egede-house |url-status=dead }}</ref>

;Nuuk Cathedral
The Church of Our Saviour of the [[Lutheran]] [[diocese of Greenland]] was built in 1849, and the tower was added in 1884. The red building with a clock tower and steeple is a prominent site on the landscape.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.groenlandinfo.de/index.php?id=3534 |title=Nuuk – Ein Stadtrundgang |publisher=Grönlandinfo.de |access-date=31 December 2015 |language=de |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095712/http://www.groenlandinfo.de/index.php?id=3534 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The church received the status of [[Nuuk Cathedral]] in 1994, when the first bishop was Kristian Mørk, followed in 1995 by Sofie Petersen, a native of Greenland and the second woman in Denmark to become a bishop.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Greenland/Kitaa/Nuuk-966816/Things_To_Do-Nuuk-TG-C-1.html |title=Nuuk Things to Do |publisher=Virtual Tourist |access-date=31 December 2015 |archive-date=22 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022054900/http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Greenland/Kitaa/Nuuk-966816/Things_To_Do-Nuuk-TG-C-1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Herrnhut House]] was the center of the [[Moravian missions in Greenland|Moravian mission]] of [[Neu-Herrnhut|New Herrnhut]]. Other landmarks include the [[Hans Egede Church]] and the [[Statue of Hans Egede]].

;National Museum
[[Greenland National Museum]] is in Nuuk and was one of the first museums established in Greenland, inaugurated in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.natmus.gl/ |title=Forsiden}}</ref> The museum has many artifacts and exhibits related to Greenland's archaeology, history, art, and handicrafts, and contains the [[Qilakitsoq]] mummies.

;Modern Architecture

Examples of modern architecture include the [[Katuaq]] cultural center by [[Schmidt Hammer Lassen]] (1997), the campus of the [[University of Greenland]] by Tegnestuen Nuuk and KHR Arkitekter (2008), the [[Nuuk Center]] by KHR Arkitekter (2012) and the Anstalten Correctional Facility by [[Friis & Moltke]] and [[Schmidt Hammer Lassen]] (2019).

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Annaassisitta-Oqaluffia-old-nuuk.jpg|[[Nuuk Cathedral]]
File:Nuuk-moravian-brethren-herrnhut-huset-nuup-kangerlua.jpg|[[Moravian Brethren Mission House]]
File:Ilimmarfik.jpg|[[University of Greenland]]
File:Katuaq2008.JPG|[[Katuaq]]
File:Nuuk Center (1) (Kenny McFly).jpg|[[Nuuk Center]]
</gallery>

=== Cultural ===
[[File:The Nuuk Art Museum.jpg|thumb|Nuuk Art Museum]]
{{Main|Katuaq|Nuuk Art Museum}}
Katuaq is a [[cultural center]] used for concerts, films, art exhibitions, and conferences. It was designed by [[Schmidt Hammer Lassen]] and inaugurated on 15 February 1997. Katuaq contains two [[auditorium|auditoria]], the larger seating 1,008 people and the smaller, 508. The complex also contains an art school, library, meeting facilities, administrative offices and a café.

The Nuuk Art Museum is the only private art and crafts museum in Greenland.<ref name="Kunst">{{cite web |url=http://www.kunstmuseum.gl/ |title=Velkommen til Nuuk Kunstmuseum – fortids- og nutidskunst}}</ref> The museum contains a notable collection of local paintings, watercolors, drawings, and graphics, some by Andy Warhol; and figures in soapstone, ivory, and wood, with many items collected by archaeologists.

=== Educational ===
{{Main|University of Greenland}}
Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland, is in Nuuk and is the national university of Greenland. Most courses are taught in [[Danish language|Danish]], although a few are in Kalaallisut as well. {{As of|2007}}, the university had approximately 150 students (almost all Greenlanders), around 14 academic staff, and five administrators.<ref name="statistic">{{cite web |url=http://www.ilisimatusarfik.gl/Home/OmIlisimatusarfik/tabid/60/Default.aspx |title=About the University |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928222948/http://www.ilisimatusarfik.gl/Home/OmIlisimatusarfik/tabid/60/Default.aspx |archive-date=28 September 2007}}. "ca. 150 studenter; 14 lærere foruden rektor samt 5 teknisk-administrativt ansatte."</ref> Its library holds approximately 30,000 volumes.

The [[Public and National Library of Greenland|National Library of Greenland]] in Nuuk is the largest reference library in the country, devoted to the preservation of Greenland's cultural heritage and history.<ref name="ica">{{cite web |url=http://www.groenlandica.gl/eng/om_os/index_om_os.html?Mode_ID=0 |publisher=Groenlandica, Greenlandic National Library |title=About Us |access-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721031237/http://www.groenlandica.gl/eng/om_os/index_om_os.html?Mode_ID=0 |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref> The library holdings are split between the public library in the town center and Ilimmarfik, the campus of the University of Greenland. As of 1 January 2008, there are 83,324 items in the library database at Ilimmarfik.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.groenlandica.gl/eng/materialer/index_materialer.html?Mode_ID=0 |publisher=Groenlandica, Greenlandic National Library |title=Collections |access-date=9 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721031710/http://www.groenlandica.gl/eng/materialer/index_materialer.html?Mode_ID=0 |archive-date=21 July 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Godthabhallen.jpg|thumb|[[Godthåbhallen]] exterior]]
[[File:Nuuk Teletaarnet.jpg|thumb|Teletårnet, Nuuk]]
== Sports ==
{{Main|Nuuk Stadium}}
Nuuk's sports clubs include [[Nuuk Idraetslag|Nuuk IL]] (established in 1934), [[B-67]], and [[Grønlands Seminarius Sportklub|GSS Nuuk]]. Nuuk Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, used mostly for [[Association football|football]] games. The stadium has a capacity of 2,000.<ref name="worldstadiums.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldstadiums.com/north_america/countries/greenland.shtml |title=World Stadiums – Stadiums in Greenland |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605135020/http://www.worldstadiums.com/north_america/countries/greenland.shtml |archive-date=5 June 2011}}</ref> The stadium can also be used as an entertainment venue: the Scottish rock band [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]] performed at the venue. Nuuk also has the [[Godthåbhallen]], a handball stadium. It is the home of the [[Greenland men's national handball team]] and has a capacity of 1,000.<ref name="worldstadiums.com" /> There is a hill for alpine skiing with an altitude difference around 300 meters on the mountain Lille Malene,<ref name="skilift.gl">{{cite web |url=http://www.skilift.gl/ |title=Skiliften Sisorarfiit |access-date=6 May 2013}}</ref> with the valley station close to the airport terminal.<ref name="xpda">{{cite web |url=http://xpda.com/flyingtoeurope/ |title=General Aviation Flying to Europe |date=10 May 2010 |access-date=6 May 2013 |author=Webster, Bob}}</ref> There is also the Nuuk golf course, the only  arctic golf course in the world.<ref>[http://greenlandtoday.com/golf-in-greenland/?lang=en Nuuk Golf Course] Greenlandtoday.</ref>

== Notable people ==
[[File:Múte Bourup Egede May 2021.jpg|140px|thumb|right|[[Múte Bourup Egede]], 2021]]
* [[Johan Carl Christian Petersen]] (1813–1880), a seaman and interpreter
* [[Hans Lynge]] (1906-1988), writer, dramatist, painter, politician, printmaker and sculptor.
* [[Finn Lynge]] (1933–2014), politician, Indigenous rights activist and priest; the sole [[Member of the European Parliament|MEP]] for Greenland, 1979 until 1984
* [[Agnethe Davidsen]] (1947–2007), Greenland's first female government minister
* [[Rasmus Lyberth]] (born 1951), musician and actor.
* [[Sofie Petersen]] (born 1955), a Lutheran bishop & Bishop of Greenland from 1995 to 2020.
* [[:da:Minik Rosing|Minik Thorleif Rosing, (DK wiki)]] (born 1957), geologist.
* [[Bo Lidegaard]] (born 1958), historian and journalist
* brothers [[Otto Rosing]] (born 1967), film director & [[Lars Rosing]] (born 1972), actor.
* [[Maliina Abelsen]] (born 1976), Greenland's Minister for Social Affairs
* [[Aaja Chemnitz Larsen]] (born 1977), politician, member of the Danish [[Folketing]]
* [[Sara Olsvig]] (born 1978), politician member of the Danish [[Folketing]], 2011–2014.
* [[Nive Nielsen]] (born 1979), singer-songwriter and actress
* [[Julie Berthelsen]] (born 1979), pop singer and songwriter.
* [[Bibi Chemnitz]] (born 1983), fashion designer
* [[Múte Bourup Egede]] (born 1987), politician, seventh [[Prime Minister of Greenland]]

=== Sport ===
* [[Nils Nielsen]] (born 1971), football manager, head coach for the [[Switzerland women's national football team]], 2018-2022
* [[Jesper Grønkjær]] (born 1977), [[Association football|footballer]], played 400 games and 80 for [[Denmark national football team|Denmark]]
* [[Mads Andersen (chess player)|Mads Andersen]] (born 1995), a Danish chess grandmaster.

== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in North America#Greenland|l1=List of twin towns and sister cities in Greenland}}
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2015}}

=== Twin towns and sister cities ===
Nuuk is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
{{div col|content=
* {{flagicon|DEN}} '''[[Aalborg]]''', Denmark <small>''(2002–present)''</small><ref name="Aalborg twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.europeprize.net/en/?page_id=5 |title=Aalborg Twin Towns |publisher=Europeprize.net/ |access-date=19 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907145357/http://www.europeprize.net/en/?page_id=5 |archive-date=7 September 2013}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|PRC}} '''[[Changchun]]''', '''[[Jilin]]''', China
* {{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Tiverton, Rhode Island]]''', United States
* {{flagicon|DEN}} '''[[Lyngby-Taarbæk]]''', Denmark
* {{flagicon|SWE}} '''[[Huddinge Municipality|Huddinge]]''', Sweden
* {{flagicon|ISL}} '''[[Reykjavík]]''', Iceland
* {{flagicon|ARG}} '''[[Ushuaia]]''', Argentina
* {{flagicon|PAN}} '''[[Bocas Town, Bocas del Toro|Bocas Town]]''', Panama
* {{flagicon|IDN}} '''[[Sorong (city)|Sorong]]''', Indonesia
* {{flagicon|SWE}} '''[[Stockholm]]''', Sweden
}}

== See also ==
* [[Coat of Arms of Nuuk]]
* [[Sisimiut]], the second-largest city in Greenland

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{URL|https://visitgreenland.com/destinations/nuuk/|Nuuk – Greenland's largest city and capital}}. Visitgreenland.com.

{{Sister bar|auto=y}}
{{Nuuk}}
{{Settlements in Greenland}}
{{Danish capital cities}}
{{List of North American capitals}}
{{Municipal seats of Greenland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nuuk| ]]
[[Category:Capitals in North America]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Greenland]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Greenland]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1728]]
[[Category:Populated places in Greenland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Greenland]]
[[Category:Capitals in Europe]]
[[Category:1728 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:Road-inaccessible communities of North America]]
[[Category:Municipal seats of Greenland]]