Savissivik
| Savissivik Havighivik | |
|---|---|
  Savissivik Location within Greenland | |
| Coordinates: 76°01′10″N 65°06′50″W / 76.01944°N 65.11389°WCoordinates: 76°01′10″N 65°06′50″W / 76.01944°N 65.11389°W | |
| State |
 Kingdom of Denmark |
| Constituent country |
 Greenland |
| Municipality |
 Qaasuitsup |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 66 |
| Time zone | UTC-04 |
| Postal code | 3970 Pituffik |
Savissivik (West Greenlandic; old spelling: Savigsivik) or Havighivik (Polar Eskimo) (IATA: SVR) is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. Located on Meteorite Island, off the northern shores of Melville Bay, the settlement had 66 inhabitants in 2010.[1]
History
In the Greenlandic language, the name Savissivik means "Place of Meteoric Iron" or "Knives",[2] alluding to the numerous meteorite fragments that have been found in the area dating to about 10,000 years ago.[3] The Cape York meteorite is estimated to have weighed 100 tonnes before it exploded.[3] The iron from the meteorite is believed to have attracted migrating Inuit from Arctic Canada.[3]
Transport
Air Greenland operates settlement flights to Qaanaaq Airport via Thule Air Base.[4] The twice-weekly flights are subsidized by the Government of Greenland. Transfers at the airbase are subject to access restrictions by the Danish Foreign Ministry.[5]
Population
The population of Savissivik decreased by over 40 percent relative to the 1990 levels, and by 10 percent relative to 2000 levels.[6]
References
- ↑ Statistics Greenland (Danish)
- ↑ quarkexpeditions.com
- 1 2 3 "Lured by iron meteorite". Suluk. Air Greenland. 4: 6. 2010.
- ↑ "Booking system". Air Greenland. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
- ↑ Air Greenland
- 1 2 Statistics Greenland
