World’s most isolated town frozen over 9 months of the year | World | News

This colourful little town, which remains frozen for nine months of the year, is one of the Earth’s most remote inhabited communities.

Ittoqqortoormiit is a quaint village of just 370 residents nestled between the world’s largest national park to the north and the largest fjord system to the south.

Formerly known as Scoresbysund, it is a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality in eastern Greenland.

It is an incredibly isolated area where there is no access to roads and there is just two weekly flights to Nerlerit Inaat airport – one from Iceland and the other from West Greenland.

There are also boat transfers for a few months a year.

Positioned above the Arctic Circle and almost 500 miles from the nearest town, Ittoqqortoormiit is surrounded by dangerous wilderness including polar bears and musk oxen. 

The village is encased in sea ice for nine months each year, which, while isolating, provides a crucial route for the Inuit inhabitants to travel by dog sled for hunting.

Ittoqqortoormiit has average temperatures of around 4.5C in summer and -12C in winter. 

Despite there being very few residents there today, the population is believed to have declined by around 35% in the past 18 years. 

Younger locals are more likely to leave the area and move to cities for education or pursue career paths. 

Due to its location and freezing temperatures, Ittoqqortoormiit is at high risk of climate change, threatening the community’s cultural heritage.

The place has become more popular with tourists and arctic explorers in recent years. 

A local company, Nanu Travel, owns the only guest house in the settlement and arranges tours and expedition logistics for visitors