Nuuk, Greenland: Site, Situation, and “The Law of the Primate City”

Anthony J Dzik

doi:10.22584/nr48.2018.001

Abstract

The Northern Review 48 (2018): 3–32Jefferson’s “Law of the Primate City” states that a country’s principal (i.e., primary) city is always disproportionately large in population and exceptionally representative of national capacity and feeling. This article examines the extent to which Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is in accord with the “law.” Site and situation factors are presented to illustrate how Nuuk came to be Greenland’s dominant population and economic centre. The degree to which the city represents national feeling was assessed through an interpretation of the cultural landscape, literature review, and interviews with current and former residents of Greenland. Clearly Nuuk is disproportionately large and possesses much of the country’s economic capacity; however, there is some reservation at the present time as to whether or not it truly is representative of national feeling. As Greenland continues to modernize and as Nuuk continues to attract more and more people from other parts of the island, the city eventually could become more representative of the country’s cultural identity.

Highlights

Many countries and regions have a city that is dominant in population number and that functions as the political, economic, and cultural focus of its realm
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in both concepts as evidenced by a reanalysis by Berry and Okulicz-Kozaryn (2012) and studies of Europe (Crampton 2005), the Americas (Galiani and Kim 2011), Sri Lanka ( Jayasinghel and Dissanayake 2014; Campanella 2015), and Bulgaria (Dimitrova and Ausloos 2015)
The population size,its economic preeminence,and its capital city function are all connected to its site and situational advantages

Summary

Introduction

Many countries and regions have a city that is dominant in population number and that functions as the political, economic, and cultural focus of its realm. Geographers call such an entity a “primate city.”. Jefferson pointed out in his seminal work that the primate city draws its residents from all parts of the country and thereby expresses the national disposition more completely than any other settled area (Martin 1961) This appears to be the case for most primate cities today (Reed 1972; Crampton 2005; Galiani and Kim 2011). Addressed is the city’s current role in the national capacity and feeling of Greenland

Materials and Methods

Aspects of a Primate City and the Case of Nuuk

Nuuk and “National Feeling”

Findings

Conclusions