This is the land of dog sleds and the Midnight Sun.  The region stretches from Kangaatsiaq in the south to Qaanaaq in the north. During the summer, the sun is in the sky twenty-four hours a day - and the further north you travel, the longer this period of endless light will last.
 
This means, of course, that there is a corresponding period of darkness in the winter. The day that the sun reappears in Ilulissat is 13 January, which is a festival that everyone looks forward to. Even though there are airports at Aasiaat, Ilulissat, on the Nuussuaq peninsula near Uummannaq and at Upernavik, many people travel the long distances between towns by passenger ship - these jounreys are great adventures in themsleves, and allow fantastic exposure to the full variety of Greenland's nature.

The coast is dotted with countless rocky islands, and the mountains in the south are relatively low.  Disko Island is famed for its huge basalt mountains, and the highest peaks on the west coast are found near near Uummannaq. The cliffs around Upernavik are home to spectacular colonies of seabirds, and the whole coast abounds with glaciers and ice fields. Some of the world's most productive and fast-moving glaciers are to be seen around Uummannaq and Ilulissat.
 
Seal hunting is the most important source of income for a large part of North Greenland's population, and this is why the settlements here are different from those in the rest of Greenland. There are many settlements in the region, and as a visitor you will be able to experience a different Greenland from the one you will find in the busy towns. During the winter, when the fjords freeze over, the dog sled is an indispensable means of transport for the fishermen and hunters. Long lines are set through holes in the ice for Greenland halibut. These fish are frequently caught at a depth of 600 metres, and the lines are pulled up by hand!  The importance of dog sleds is clearly indicated by the fact that there are more dogs than people in many places.

There are many things to see and do in the area for visitors interested in history. Greenland's oldest wooden house, dating from 1734, is in Qasigiannguit, which also has a museum with a fine collection of archaeological finds from different prehistoric cultures. The former settlement of Sermermiut near Ilulissat, the old storehouse, deserted settlements, the houses of the colonial adminstrators and the churches all bear witness to fascinating aspects of Greenland's history. There is a museum in every town which will take you far back into the past. You will not see many animals on land, perhaps just a fox or hare, but life is plentiful above and below the water. There are many species of gull to be seen resting on the ice fields, and large numbers of fulmars can be observed close to the towns when they make good use of the waste products from the fish factories. Prawns, also known as pink gold, and feature prominently among Greenland's exports, are the reason for many large trawlers and smaller fishing vessels that ply the waters of North Greenland. Greenland halibut are also caught from dinghies, and it is not unusual for 50 tonnes per week to be caught by a small settlement with a few hundred inhabitants. This area is also where you will have the best chance of seeing the gigantic fin whale, especially around Qeqertarsuaq, Aasiaat and Qasigiannguit. It is not by chance that many Dutch whalers hunted thoughout this area during the 18th century.
 
Thule - the name has a magic ring to it, and conjures up pictures of 'the true Greenland' for many people. Today the town is called Qaanaaq. Being so far in the north the Midnight Sun lasts in Qaanaaq from the middle of April to the end of August, and in the wintertime the sun doesn't rise for 3 months. Hunting is of great importance, but there are strict local regulations which control where and how the hunting is done - narwhals, for example, may only be hunted with harpoons. Ways of living so far north and in such severe climatic conditions are passed on from generation to generation, and this ability to adapt has contributed to the survival Greenland's hunter societies.