The Arctic town built from the ruins of a forced relocation

Countries & Cities · Published 9 October 2026 · Updated 25 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1953, the residents of Old Thule were moved 100 kilometers north in just four days during winter. This was not a choice, but a forced displacement to make room for a United States Air Force base. Today, this settlement stands as a resilient testament to survival in the high Arctic.

Qaanaaq, formerly known as New Thule, is one of the world's northernmost towns. Located at the entrance of the Inglefield Fjord in Greenland's Avannaata municipality, it serves as a vital hub in a region where the midnight sun persists from mid-April until the end of August. The town's history is defined by layers of migration and displacement, beginning with Paleo-Eskimos around 2000 BCE and followed by the Thule culture around 1100 CE.

The modern identity of Qaanaaq was shaped by the geopolitical pressures of the Cold War. The Pituffik hut settlement occupied the plain where Thule Air Base was later established in 1951. To prevent contact between local inhabitants and US soldiers—a move deemed 'unhealthy' by authorities—the Danish government forcibly relocated approximately 130 people from their traditional home to Qaanaaq in the winter of 1953. This relocation was later ruled an unlawful, expropriative intervention by the Danish Supreme Court in 2003.

Despite these hardships, the community has maintained a stable population, with 591 residents recorded in 2025. Life here requires extreme adaptation; the local economy and survival depend on the seasonal opening of sea ice around August. In a landscape where resources are scarce, nothing is wasted: narwhal and walrus tusks are carved into tools and jewelry, while animal skins provide essential clothing. Interestingly, in this remote settlement, the population of huskies now exceeds the number of human residents.

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