Maps & Geography

Useful Maps for Your Journey

Greenland, the world’s biggest island
Stretching approximately 2,800 kilometres (1,750 miles) from north to south and approximately 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) from east to west, Greenland is the world’s biggest island. Some people would probably claim that Australia and Africa are bigger islands, but according to international definitions they are regarded as continents.

Such an enormous landmass, of which 85% is actually the ice sheet and is therefore white on the map, requires a lot of space when making maps. However, there are many types of map that are all interesting to study regardless of whether you are hiking inland or sailing along Greenland’s coastline.

Key map of Greenland
Scanmaps is the place from where you can obtain a full range of maps of Greenland, from 1:75,000 to 1:500,000, and they can of course be ordered online. Scanmaps can also help to get hold of aerial photos if you know that you will be going outside the areas that are covered by the maps.

Hiking maps of popular areas
Greenland Tourism has published a number of hiking maps that cover the most popular hiking areas in Greenland in 1:100,000. Routes and levels of difficulty are marked on the map, and on the reverse there are detailed descriptions of

the routes themselves, natural conditions, fauna and whatever else you may need to know.

On the majority of the maps there is also a view of the local area in 1:10,000. Even if you are not planning to go on a long hike, it is a good idea to get hold of a map. The maps are sold in Greenland at bookshops and tourist offices, at Nordisk Korthandel in Copenhagen and at selected outlets abroad.

Regional maps of Greenland
Saga Maps publishes maps in 1:250,000 of all the inhabited areas in Greenland. These maps cannot be used as trail maps for hikers, but they provide a good overview of the area you are visiting and are indispensable when on a sailing trip. Some of Saga Maps’ products are built up around a particular theme and on the reverse contain detailed information about the Viking settlers, American airbases, Inuit culture and so on.