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{{Infobox settlement
|name = Pituffik
|image_skyline = Sled Dogs Thule Greenland.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption = The [[tombolo]] known as ''Uummannaq''
|pushpin_map = Greenland
|pushpin_label_position =
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| subdivision_type = State
| subdivision_name = {{Flag|Kingdom of Denmark}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Countries of the Kingdom of Denmark|Constituent country]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{Flag|Greenland}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[Administrative divisions of Greenland|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[
| subdivision_type3 =
| subdivision_name3 =
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|extinct_date = 1953
|timezone = [[UTC-04]]
|coordinates = {{coord|76|32|N|68|45|W|region:GL|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Pituffik''' is a former settlement in northern [[Greenland]], located at the eastern end of [[Bylot Sound]] by a [[tombolo]] known as ''Uummannaq'', near the current site of the U.S. [[Pituffik Space Base]], formerly
Thule Air Base. The former inhabitants were relocated to the present-day town of [[Qaanaaq]]. The relocation and the fallout from the [[1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash]] in the vicinity are a contentious issue in Greenland's relations with [[Denmark]] and the [[United States]].
== Exploration==
Pituffik was a hunting village of the Greenlandic [[Inuit]]. The Qaanaaq region of northern Greenland in which it is located was inhabited for several thousand years, first settled 4,500 years ago by the [[Paleo-Eskimo]] peoples migrating from the [[Canadian Arctic]].<ref>[[Michael Fortescue|Fortescue]], Michael. ''Language Relations Across Bering Strait: Reappraising the Archaeological and Linguistic Evidence''. Open Linguistic Press, Cassell, 1998. {{ISBN|0-304-70330-3}}</ref>
The area was explored by Commander [[James Saunders (naval commander)|James Saunders]] of the [[Royal Navy]] while wintering on [[HMS North Star (1824)|HMS ''North Star'']] in 1849-50 after being trapped by the ice in the sound.<ref name="RN">[http://beyondthebackyard.com/2014/09/03/icy-imprisonment-the-1849-voyage-of-the-hms-north-star/ Icy Imprisonment: The 1849 Voyage of the HMS North Star] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502021105/http://beyondthebackyard.com/2014/09/03/icy-imprisonment-the-1849-voyage-of-the-hms-north-star/ |date=May 2, 2016 }}</ref>
==
{{main|
===Forced relocation===
In 1951 the United States was given permission to build Thule Air Base at the site of the settlement. Between 1952 and May 1953, all residents of Pituffik and nearby Dundas (Uummannaq) were forcibly relocated {{convert|130|km|mi|abbr=on}} north to the new town of [[Qaanaaq]], commonly known at the time as "''New Qaanaaq''" or "''New Thule''",<ref name="cold">{{cite book|last=Ehrlich|first=Gretel|title=This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland|publisher=[[Random House]]|pages=143, 176, 222|year=2001|isbn=978-0-679-75852-5|author-link=Gretel Ehrlich}}</ref><ref name="postgl">{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/telegreenlandas/docs/gc_gb_0302 |publisher=[[Post Greenland]] |title=Greenland Collector Vol.8, No.2, May 2003 |access-date=16 July 2010}}</ref> where people were forced to live in tents from May 1953 until November of the same year, well into the polar winter, while the 27 new houses were constructed for them.<ref name="postgl"/><ref name="elaw">{{cite web |url=http://www.elaw.org/node/3834 |publisher=Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide |title=Denmark -- HINGITAQ 53 vs. Denmark, Application No. 18584/04 |access-date=16 July 2010}}</ref> The total cost of the relocation amounted to 8.65 million [[Danish krone]] (DKK), or 1.52 million US dollars, with more than half covered by the U.S. side.<ref name="elaw"/>
The airbase is not part of any civilian municipality of Greenland, but an [[enclave]] within Greenland, outside of its jurisdiction. Within Greenland the airbase location, and the airbase itself, continue to be referred to as Pituffik, in memory of the old settlement. Access to the site is restricted, with travellers bound for Thule Air Base required to apply for access permit from either Rigsombudsmanden in [[Nuuk]] (residents of Greenland), or the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)|Danish Foreign Ministry]] (all others). Failure to present the permit during check-in results in denial of boarding. The same rules apply for transfers at Pituffik, including a stopover on the way from Qaanaaq to [[Savissivik]], the southernmost settlement of northern Greenland, on the shore of [[Melville Bay]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airgreenland.com/destinations/greenland/pituffik-thule-air-base/transportation-to-pituffik |publisher=[[Air Greenland]] |title=Transportation to Pituffik |access-date=6 September 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410190108/http://www.airgreenland.com/destinations/greenland/pituffik-thule-air-base/transportation-to-pituffik |archive-date=10 April 2016 }}</ref>
=== Plutonium contamination ===
{{main|1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash}}
[[Radioactive decay|Radioactive]] [[plutonium]] from the 1968 bomber crash contaminated the nearby ancient hunting grounds, affecting the livelihoods of the region's inhabitants.<ref name="cold"/><ref name="lp">{{cite book|last=O'Carroll|first=Etain|title=Greenland and the Arctic|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|pages=199–200|year=2005|isbn=1-74059-095-3}}</ref><ref name="pressure">{{cite news |url=http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article109940.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130213160543/http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article109940.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 February 2013 |title=Kræver alt frem |work=[[Sermitsiaq (newspaper)|Sermitsiaq]] |date=2 February 2010 |language=
=== Legal action over civilian relocations ===
While the protection of Greenland offered by the airbase is not disputed,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article1865.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717091526/http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article1865.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2012 |title=Afdæmpet missildebat |work=[[Sermitsiaq (newspaper)|Sermitsiaq]] |date=5 December 2006 |language=da |access-date=16 July 2010 }}</ref> the relocation of the 1950s remains a controversial issue in Greenland more than half a century later, with ongoing demands for land reclamation being proposed by Greenlandic politicians.<ref name="lp"/> The current Government of Greenland does not have influence over the continued existence of the airbase at the site, as [[foreign policy]] remains the prerogative of the [[Government of Denmark]]. From the mid-1980s onwards, the then-Greenland Home Rule government worked together with the Government of Denmark to resolve the social effects of the eviction. On 30 September 1986, Denmark and the U.S. agreed to reduce the area outside Greenland's jurisdiction to half of the original size.<ref name="elaw"/> In 1997, the Danish government agreed to subsidize the construction of the [[Qaanaaq Airport]] (47 million DKK), in agreement with the Home Rule government.<ref name="elaw"/>
On 28 November 2003, the [[Danish Supreme Court]] ruled on the relocation issue denying the residents of Qaanaaq the right to return to the former village in Pituffik.<ref name="lp"/> The Greenlanders, numbering 428 in the case, were represented by the ''Hingitaq 53'' group.<ref name="elaw"/> That decision was later appealed in the [[European Court of Human Rights]].<ref name="lp"/> The Court unanimously declared the application inadmissible.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.elaw.org/content/denmark-hingitaq-53-vs-denmark-application-no-1858404-decision-european-court-human-rights-a |title=HINGITAQ 53 vs. Denmark, Application No. 18584/04 (decision from European Court of Human Rights as to admissibility of application) |work=[[Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide]] (ELAW) |language=en |access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref>
There has also been internal debate in Greenland concerning demands to force the airbase to pay lease fees for its use of the land.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article22593.ece |title=Atassut vil have pris på Pituffik |work=[[Sermitsiaq (newspaper)|Sermitsiaq]] |date=23 November 2007 |language=da |access-date=16 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080126144919/http://sermitsiaq.gl/politik/article22593.ece |archive-date=26 January 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The [[National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark]] operates the [[Thule Research Station]] at Pituffik, which is crewed up to two months a year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.isaaffik.org/thule-research-station-technical-university-denmark|title=Thule Research Station, Technical University of Denmark {{!}} Isaaffik|website=www.isaaffik.org|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref>
==Climate==
{{Weather box
| location = Pituffik, Greenland (1991-2020): 77m
| single line = Y
| metric first = Y
| Jan record high C = 0.7
| Feb record high C = 1.0
| Mar record high C = 1.2
| Apr record high C = 4.5
| May record high C = 11.2
| Jun record high C = 13.8
| Jul record high C = 15.6
| Aug record high C = 14.3
| Sep record high C = 9.4
| Oct record high C = 7.0
| Nov record high C = 4.4
| Dec record high C = 1.9
| year record high C =
| Jan high C = -21.9
| Feb high C = -22.1
| Mar high C = -21.2
| Apr high C = -12.7
| May high C = -2.6
| Jun high C = 4.2
| Jul high C = 7.1
| Aug high C = 5.2
| Sep high C = 0.4
| Oct high C = -6.3
| Nov high C = -13.2
| Dec high C = -17.8
| year high C =
| Jan mean C = -23.9
| Feb mean C = -24.6
| Mar mean C = -23.7
| Apr mean C = -15.3
| May mean C = -4.3
| Jun mean C = 2.8
| Jul mean C = 6.1
| Aug mean C = 4.5
| Sep mean C = -1.5
| Oct mean C = -8.6
| Nov mean C = -14.3
| Dec mean C = -20.1
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = -27.9
| Feb low C = -28.2
| Mar low C = -27.2
| Apr low C = -19.4
| May low C = -7.0
| Jun low C = 0.6
| Jul low C = 3.5
| Aug low C = 1.9
| Sep low C = -4.1
| Oct low C = -11.1
| Nov low C = -18.9
| Dec low C = -23.6
| year low C =
| Jan record low C = -40.5
| Feb record low C = -40.0
| Mar record low C = -41.2
| Apr record low C = -33.0
| May record low C = -23.1
| Jun record low C = -12.9
| Jul record low C = -3.0
| Aug record low C = -6.7
| Sep record low C = -15.4
| Oct record low C = -29.8
| Nov record low C = -32.5
| Dec record low C = -36.9
| year record low C =
|precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 5.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 4.5
| Mar precipitation mm = 5.7
| Apr precipitation mm = 7.3
| May precipitation mm = 9.8
| Jun precipitation mm = 13.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 22.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 26.5
| Sep precipitation mm = 13.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 15.0
| Nov precipitation mm = 12.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 13.1
|year precipitation mm =
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 2.2
| Feb precipitation days = 1.6
| Mar precipitation days = 2.2
| Apr precipitation days = 2.3
| May precipitation days = 1.4
| Jun precipitation days = 2.2
| Jul precipitation days = 4.6
| Aug precipitation days = 4.3
| Sep precipitation days = 3.0
| Oct precipitation days = 4.3
| Nov precipitation days = 3.2
| Dec precipitation days = 3.2
|year precipitation days =
|source = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]] (1991-2006 max/mins)<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/Rapporter/2021/DMI_report_21_12_Greenland.pdf
| title = Climatological Standard Normals 1991-2020 – Greenland
| publisher = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]]
| access-date = March 22, 2024
}}</ref>
}}
{{Weather box|location = Dundas 1961-1975
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| collapsed = y
| Jan high C = -18.5
| Feb high C = -18.4
| Mar high C = -19.4
| Apr high C = -12.2
| May high C = -2.0
| Jun high C = 4.1
| Jul high C = 7.0
| Aug high C = 6.6
| Sep high C = 1.3
| Oct high C = -5.5
| Nov high C = -12.0
| Dec high C = -17.6
| year high C =
| Jan low C = -28.2
| Feb low C = -28.1
| Mar low C = -28.5
| Apr low C = -22.1
| May low C = -9.8
| Jun low C = -2.0
| Jul low C = 0.7
| Aug low C = 0.9
| Sep low C = -4.0
| Oct low C = -11.7
| Nov low C = -19.9
| Dec low C = -25.6
| year low C =
| Jan record high C = 4.0
| Feb record high C = 5.0
| Mar record high C = 3.0
| Apr record high C = 4.6
| May record high C = 10.3
| Jun record high C = 14.5
| Jul record high C = 17.2
| Aug record high C = 17.0
| Sep record high C = 11.0
| Oct record high C = 5.4
| Nov record high C = 5.7
| Dec record high C = 3.5
| year record high C =
| Jan record low C = -39.5
| Feb record low C = -39.0
| Mar record low C = -40.5
| Apr record low C = -35.6
| May record low C = -25.2
| Jun record low C = -9.5
| Jul record low C = -4.0
| Aug record low C = -6.3
| Sep record low C = -19.6
| Oct record low C = -31.2
| Nov record low C = -34.5
| Dec record low C = -38.0
| year record low C =
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 6
| Feb precipitation mm = 8
| Mar precipitation mm = 4
| Apr precipitation mm = 7
| May precipitation mm = 7
| Jun precipitation mm = 8
| Jul precipitation mm = 20
| Aug precipitation mm = 25
| Sep precipitation mm = 19
| Oct precipitation mm = 13
| Nov precipitation mm = 9
| Dec precipitation mm = 8
| year precipitation mm =
| unit precipitation days = 1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 1.5
| Feb precipitation days = 1.5
| Mar precipitation days = 1.1
| Apr precipitation days = 2.0
| May precipitation days = 2.3
| Jun precipitation days = 1.9
| Jul precipitation days = 3.8
| Aug precipitation days = 4.4
| Sep precipitation days = 3.8
| Oct precipitation days = 3.5
| Nov precipitation days = 2.7
| Dec precipitation days = 2.0
| year precipitation days =
| unit snow days =
| Jan snow days = 4.0
| Feb snow days = 4.0
| Mar snow days = 3.8
| Apr snow days = 3.5
| May snow days = 3.9
| Jun snow days = 2.3
| Jul snow days = 1.1
| Aug snow days = 1.5
| Sep snow days = 4.8
| Oct snow days = 6.4
| Nov snow days = 5.7
| Dec snow days = 5.3
| year snow days =
| source 1 = http://www.dmi.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Rapporter/TR/2000/tr00-18.pdf
}}
==See also==
* [[High Arctic relocation]]
* [[Diego Garcia]], the civilian population was removed in the 1970s to create a US Airforce Base in this [[British Indian Ocean Territory]] [[atoll]]
== References ==
{{
{{Abandoned sites in Greenland}}
{{Former administrative divisions of Greenland}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Former populated places in Greenland]]
[[Category:Forcibly depopulated communities]]
[[Category:Radioactively contaminated areas]]
[[Category:Pituffik Space Base]]
[[Category:Ethnic cleansing in North America]]
| |||