Cape Moltke Explained

Cape Moltke
Other Name:Kap Moltke, Kangeq
Type:Cape
Map:Greenland
Location:King Frederick VI Coast
Water Bodies:Irminger Sea (North Atlantic Ocean)
Coordinates:63.4833°N -87°W
Elevation:460m (1,510feet)

Cape Moltke (Danish: Kap Moltke; Kalaallisut; Greenlandic: Kangeq) is a headland in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast Greenland, Kujalleq municipality.[1]

History

There are numerous ancient Inuit ruins in the shores of the coves and islands near the cape, remains of the former inhabitants of the area, the now extinct Southeast-Greenland Inuit.[2]

Cape Moltke was named by Lieutenant Wilhelm August Graah in 1829 during his East Coast expedition. Graah noticed that north of the cape the land was more covered with snow than to the south. He named the headland after Danish Minister of State Count Adam Wilhelm Moltke of Bregentved.[3]

Geography

Cape Moltke is located at the eastern end of Thorland, 33km (21miles) NNE of Cape Niels Juel. It is a reddish-brown promontory with steep cliffs located about 10km (10miles) south of the mouth of Bernstorff Fjord.[4]

North and south of Cape Moltke the coast is indented with small fjords and a number of offshore islands. Qimiitaa, Qeertartivaq and Kivinak are located northeast of the cape, on the southern side of the mouth of Bernstorff Fjord, and Kiasigssaq, among others, southwest of it.[5]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Den grønlandske Lods - Sejladsanvisninger Østgrønland, p. 49 . 2019-08-14 . 2020-10-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201028233135/http://gst.dk/media/2915914/den-groenlandske-lods-sejladsanvisniner-oestgroenland.pdf . dead .
  2. Spencer Apollonio, Lands That Hold One Spellbound: A Story of East Greenland, 2008 pp. 29-40
  3. W. A. Graah, Narrative of an Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland, London, 1837 p. 89
  4. Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 102
  5. Web site: Kap Moltke. Mapcarta. 14 August 2019.