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Narsarsuaq (lit. Great Plain; Facts and History of Narsarsuaq, Narsarsuad Tourist Information old spelling: Narssarssuaq) is a settlement in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The settlement's economy and population of 123 inhabitants is almost entirely reliant on Narsarsuaq Airport, an old U.S. military base (Bluie West One). There is a tourism industry in and around Narsarsuaq, whose attractions include a great diversity of wildlife, gemstones, tours to , and an airfield museum.
In 1941 the United States built an air base at Narsarsuaq code-named Bluie West One (BW1). ( Bluie was the Allied military code name for Greenland.) Thousands of planes used BW1 as a stepping stone on their way from the aircraft factories in North America to the battlegrounds of Europe. A 600-bed hospital was built in order to deal with casualties from the Normandy landings. After the end of the war, BW1 continued to be developed, and was a major hospital site during the Korean War, with the military hospital expanded to 1,000 beds. However, it was rendered surplus by the advent of mid-air refueling and the construction of the larger Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.
In 1951, it was agreed that Denmark and the United States would jointly oversee the airbase. Although it closed in 1958, it was reopened as Narsarsuaq Airport the following year by the Danish government after the loss of the vessel Hans Hedtoft and all crew south off Cape Farewell. The hospital was destroyed by a fire in 1972, although the ruins remain.
The airport is also an important refuelling point for small planes crossing the Atlantic, which sometimes replicate the North Atlantic Ferry Route, stopping at Narsarsuaq Airport and other World War II airfields, including Goose Bay, Newfoundland in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland.
In 2022, the Greenlandic government decided that Narsarsuaq will be downscaled to a heliport, losing the runway when the new airport opens in 2026. The town will remain inhabited, though the future loss of the airport is already affecting the town and there is uncertainty as to its future.
Narsarsuaq has a sea port where passenger boats and cruise ships can moor. It is located south of the terminal building, so bus transfers are arranged.
A gravel road is maintained between Qassiarsuk and Narsarsuaq around the fjord. It has two river crossings without bridges but ford them, although a direct boat across the fjord is also used. Road distance There is also a regular boat service to Qaqortoq, , which takes almost 4 hours.
Founded in 1988, it encompasses 15 hectares and it shelters 110 plant species, mostly varieties of boreal taiga trees, such as Larix sibirica, lodgepole pine, Picea glauca, Picea sitchensis, and various bushes. There have also been plantings of a few species, including
Post-war
The town and its airport remained an important part of Greenlandic aviation in the latter part of the 20th century, as one of two airports which were able to handle larger fixed-wing aircraft, the other being Kangerlussuaq Airport, also an old U.S. military base. It was the principal airfield in South Greenland, and served as a transfer point between fixed-wing flights and helicopters. A tourism industry developed as a result of the airport and most economic activities in the town are related to tourism or servicing the airport. Icelandair, SAS and later Air Greenland served the airport with international services to Keflavík, Iceland and Copenhagen since the 1950s, mostly during the summer.
Closure of airport
After decades of discussion, in 2018 a decision was made to construct an airport nearer to Qaqortoq, the largest town in South Greenland. The new airport eliminates the need for Narsarsuaq as a domestic and Iceland-bound gateway to South Greenland. Qaqortoq Airport is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2026.
Transport
Narsarsuaq Airport serves as the principal airfield in southwestern Greenland, with seasonal international flights from Iceland operated by Icelandair. It has also commuter helicopter flights from communities of southern Greenland operated by Air Greenland.
Population
The population of the settlement is strictly tied to the traffic dynamics at the local airport.
Climate
Narsarsuaq experiences boundary subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), which with a 1.1 °C (1.98 °F) margin escapes being classified as polar climate that is typical for the rest of Greenland. Despite its rather chilly temperatures, Narsarsuaq is one of the few places in Greenland with abundant naturally growing trees. This is due to several factors. Its geographical position is extremely sheltered from harsh subpolar winds by multiple layers of tall mountains to the west, and there is a heavy oceanic influence that results in a rather stable and steady amount of precipitation year-round. The oceanic influence can be observed in the occasional Atlantic Ocean storms that often pound the region (resulting in a fairly wet climate) and a moderate amount of precipitation per year (which could also be considered quite high by Greenlandic standards).
Due to the fair climatic conditions, Narsarsuaq is the site of Greenland's only botanical garden, the "Greenlandic Arboretum".
Greenlandic Arboretum
On the lower slopes of the Mellemlandet ridge, close to Narsarsuaq Airport, there is a unique 'botanical garden of the Arctic', called the Greenlandic Arboretum.Location The goal is to establish a live collection of trees and bushes native to both the arctic and the alpine tree-lines of the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Greenlandic Arboretum Plant List
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