Oqaatsut

---

title: "Oqaatsut" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["villages-of-ilulissat", "disko-bay", "populated-places-in-greenland", "populated-places-of-arctic-greenland", "avannaata"] description: "Settlement in Greenland" topic_path: "general/villages-of-ilulissat" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oqaatsut" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Settlement in Greenland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Oqaatsut
other_name	da
nl
image_skyline	Oqaatsut, Greenland.jpg
imagesize	300px
image_caption	Rødebugt seen in 2007
pushpin_map	Greenland
pushpin_map_caption	Location within Greenland
pushpin_mapsize	300
subdivision_type	State
subdivision_name	Kingdom of Denmark
subdivision_type1	Constituent country
subdivision_name1	Greenland
subdivision_type2	Municipality
subdivision_name2	Avannaata
government_footnotes
leader_title	Mayor
leader_name	Ole Dorph
population_as_of	2025
population_total	42
timezone1	Western Greenland Time
utc_offset1	−02:00
timezone1_DST	Western Greenland Summer Time
utc_offset1_DST	−01:00
coordinates
postal_code_type	Postal code
postal_code	3952 Ilulissat
::

| name = Oqaatsut | other_name = da nl | image_skyline = Oqaatsut, Greenland.jpg | imagesize = 300px | image_caption = Rødebugt seen in 2007 | image_shield = | shield_size = | pushpin_map = Greenland | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Greenland | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | subdivision_type = State | subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark | subdivision_type1 = Constituent country | subdivision_name1 = Greenland | subdivision_type2 = Municipality | subdivision_name2 = Avannaata | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | government_footnotes = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Ole Dorph | established_title = | established_date = | population_as_of = 2025 | population_total = 42 | timezone1 = Western Greenland Time | utc_offset1 = −02:00 | timezone1_DST = Western Greenland Summer Time | utc_offset1_DST = −01:00 | coordinates = | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 3952 Ilulissat | website =

Oqaatsut (Danish: Hollandshuk or Rødebugt; Dutch: Roobay) is a settlement in Avannaata municipality, in western Greenland. It had 29 inhabitants in 2020. The modern name of the settlement is Kalaallisut for "Cormorants". The village is served by the communal all-purpose Pilersuisoq store.

Geography

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Qeqertarsuup-tunua-oqaatsut-ilulissat.jpg" caption="Icebergs from the [[Ilulissat Icefjord]] float north with the [[West Greenland Current]] towards [[Baffin Bay]], to then return south along the coast of [[Baffin Island]] and [[Labrador Peninsula"] ::

The settlement is located on a small peninsula jutting off the mainland into western Disko Bay (), 14 km north of Ilulissat. The settlement itself faces the shore of the small Akuliarusinnguaq bay, bounded to the north by Qeqertaq island, one of several islands with that name − 'qeqertaq' means 'island' in Greenlandic.

Further to the east, the Paakitsup Nunaa highland on the mainland separates the area from Sikuiuitsoq Fjord. Sermeq Avannarleq, a glacier flowing from the Greenland ice sheet empties into the fjord approximately 22 km east of Oqaatsut. Paakitsup Nunaa gives way to a marshy lowland in the south, with several lakes, the largest of which are Qoortusuup Tasia, Kuuttaap Tasia, and Kangerluarsuup Tasia Qalleq.

Further south, the highlands of Iviangernarsuit and Akinnaq due east of Ilulissat Airport are split by the Uujuup Kuua river valley. To the north, the waters of Disko Bay channel into the Sullorsuaq Strait between the large Alluttoq Island and Disko Island ().

History

The settlement first operated as Rodebay, a trading post for 18th-century Dutch whalers. The original blubber house, cooperage, and storehouse are still in use. When the fish processing plant of Royal Greenland providing employment to the majority of families was closed, Oqaatsut found itself on the verge of depopulation. In 2000 a new fishing company (Rodebay Fish ApS) was founded by the local fishermen, ensuring survival of the settlement.

Transport

Due to the proximity of Ilulissat Airport, there is no air connection between Oqaatsut and Ilulissat. Air Greenland operates government contract flights to villages farther north: Qeqertaq and Saqqaq. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay are unique in that they are operated only during winter and spring.

During summer and autumn, when the waters of Disko Bay are navigable, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline. The ferry links Oqaatsut with Qeqertaq, Saqqaq, and Ilulissat.

Population

The population of Oqaatsut has decreased by a quarter since the 1990 levels, levelling off in the 2000s.

References

References

1. "phototeam-nature.com".
2. "Population by Localities". Statistical Greenland.
3. O'Carroll, Etain. (2005). "Greenland and the Arctic". Lonely Planet.
4. "Sermitsiaq".
5. "Vandrekort Nordgrønland, Ilulissat". Greenland Tourism a/s.
6. Qeqertarsuup Tunua, Saga Map, 1:250.000, Tage Schjøtt, 1992
7. [http://sermitsiaq.gl/erhverv/article112197.ece Sermitsiaq, 2010/03/04]
8. "venture.gl".
9. "Booking system". Air Greenland.
10. link. (22 May 2009)
11. [http://bank2.stat.gl/ Statistics Greenland] {{webarchive. link. (12 August 2011)

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::