The southernmost tip of the world's largest island is a rugged, glacial masterpiece.

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Cape Farewell, known locally as Nunap Isua, marks the southern edge of Greenland. This dramatic headland, carved by ancient glaciers into steep-sided fjords, offers a stark contrast between dark grey bedrock and the surrounding North Atlantic. Captured from space, it reveals the raw, icy topography of a massive, frozen landscape.

Greenland stands as the largest island on Earth, spanning over 2 million square kilometers. Much of this vast landmass is buried beneath an ice cap that reaches depths of up to 3 kilometers. At its southern extremity lies Cape Farewell, a headland situated on Egger Island within the Nunap Isua Archipelago. This region is part of the Kujalleq municipality and serves as a critical geographical landmark.

The landscape surrounding the cape is defined by the relentless work of glaciers, which have sculpted the southwestern coastline into a series of deep, steep-sided fjords that drain directly into the ocean. The exposed bedrock, characterized by its dark grey hue, stands in sharp relief against the white cloud cover and icebergs that frequently drift through the nearby waters. The area is also notable for the King Frederick VI Coast, which extends northward along the eastern shore.

The cape sits at a latitude comparable to cities like Oslo, St Petersburg, and the Shetland Islands. In August 2008, the Expedition 17 crew aboard the International Space Station captured an oblique photograph of this region. This perspective, taken from an altitude where the station reached a northern orbital latitude of 52 degrees, highlights the intricate topography of the southern coast, providing scientists and the public with a clearer view of the island's complex glacial features.

Beyond its physical geography, the area is a site of geological interest, featuring structures such as the Ketilidian formation and the rapakivi suite. While the cape is a prominent point projecting into the North Atlantic and the Labrador Sea, it remains a remote, rugged environment where high-altitude cirrus clouds often cast shadows over lower stratus decks, masking the interplay between the island's frozen surface and the surrounding sea.

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