King Frederick VI Coast

King Frederick VI Coast
Kong Frederik VI Kyst
A fjord in southeast Greenland seen from the NASA P-3B during an IceBridge glacier survey.
A fjord in southeast Greenland seen from the NASA P-3B during an IceBridge glacier survey.
King Frederick VI Coast is located in Greenland
King Frederick VI Coast
Location of King Frederick VI Coast
CountryGreenland
Dimensions
 • Length590 km (370 mi)
Elevation
800 m (2,600 ft)

King Frederick VI Coast (Danish: Kong Frederik VI Kyst)[1] is a major geographic division of Greenland. It comprises the coastal area of Southeastern Greenland in Sermersooq and Kujalleq municipalities fronting the Irminger Sea of the North Atlantic Ocean.[2] It is bordered by King Christian IX Land on the north and the Greenland Ice Sheet to the west.

Named after King Frederick VI of Denmark-Norway, the coast stretches for about 590 km (370 mi) south of the Arctic Circle. It is characterized by a succession of short fjords, steep mountains and small coastal islands. There is a narrow belt of ice-free land between the shore and the Inland ice cap, interrupted by active glaciers reaching the shore with the ice limit varying seasonally from year to year. Owing to the movement of pack ice carried by the East Greenland Current and frequent gale-force winds that sweep down from the Greenland ice cap, it is mostly very difficult to approach or navigate along the coast by ship.[3]

  1. ^ "Kong Frederik VI Kyst". Mapcarta. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ^ Mills, William J. Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 1. p. 349.
  3. ^ Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 Greenland and Iceland Enroute, p. 99