Disko Bay

Disko Bay Qeqertarsuup tunua
Diskobugten
Disko Bay Location in Greenland
Location	Arctic
Coordinates	69°00′N 52°00′W / 69.000°N 52.000°W / 69.000; -52.000Coordinates: 69°00′N 52°00′W / 69.000°N 52.000°W / 69.000; -52.000
Ocean/sea sources	Baffin Bay
Basin countries	Greenland
Settlements	Saqqaq, Ilulissat, Iliminaq, Qasigiannguit, Ikamiut, Akunaaq, Aasiaat, Kitsissuarsuit

Disko Bay (Greenlandic: Qeqertarsuup tunua; Danish: Diskobugten) is a bay on the western coast of Greenland. The bay constitutes a wide southeastern inlet of Baffin Bay.

To the south the coastline is complicated with multiple waterways of skerries and small islands in the Aasiaat archipelago. Qasigiannguit and Ilimanaq are the main settlements in the southeastern inlet, just south of the outflow of Ilulissat Icefjord.

From the north the bay is bounded by Qeqertarsuaq, the largest island on the western coast. North of Ilulissat and west of Aluttoq Island the bay transforms into Sullorsuaq Strait separating Qeqertarsuaq from Nuussuaq Peninsula.

Growlers and bergy bits float in the bay all year round

Ilulissat/Jakobshavn

Disko Bay has been an important location for centuries. Its coastline was first encountered by Europeans when Erik the Red started a settlement in 985 AD on the more habitable western coast of Greenland. The two settlements, called the Eastern and Western settlements, were sustenance economies that survived on animal husbandry. Soon after the Western settlement was established, the Norsemen traveled up the coast during the summer thaw and discovered Disko Bay.

Their interest in this bay was due to its rich resources: walruses for ivory, seals for their pelts, and whales for a variety of materials. These products became the main source of income for the Greenlandic settlers who traded with Iceland, the British Isles, and mainland Europe. Without these resources the settlements would probably not have lasted as long as they did.