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Greenland Postal Centers

There really is no country on the planet quite like Greenland. It is still associated with the Kingdom of Denmark, being known as a autonomous country. Small communities dot the coast, mainly along the south and west where the weather and terrain make life tolerable. No roads connect these communities. Boat, plane or helicopter is the only way to get around. And yet 57000 people call this place home.

Greenland Post runs is a very modern and efficient postal system. There are a number of Tele-Post centers in communities around Greenland that provide telecommunication and postal services. I've recently obtained cancels from a number of these post offices, primarily along the North-West coast of the country. Some of these covers are featured on this page.

All Tele-Post centers are marked on the google map below. Click on any of them to retrieve their mailing address


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View Greenland Tele-Post Centers in a larger map

The Greenland Post Philatelic Center in Tasiilaq can cancel covers on behalf of any of these post centers, using "copies" of their cancels. But I preferred to do it the hard way and send my requests to the individual Tele-Post centers. Mail between Greenland and Canada is not swift but not as slow as you might expect either: typically a few weeks, during the fall. Might have been longer during the winter - it all depends on the weather.




Ilulissat Cover Wikimedia: Ilulissat

Ilulissat

The 6.00 DKK stamp on this cover was issued in 2005 and features an image of the Ilulissat Ice Fiord. The 2.00 DKK stamp is from the second series of fossil stamps issued in January 2009. The stamps were cancelled in Ilulissat on 12 August 2009.

The town of Ilulissat (which is Greenlandic for "icebergs") has become a popular tourist destination in Greenland, being only a short distance from the Ilulissat Icefjord. This glacier thunders down the fjord at 20 to 30 meters per day, shedding billions of tons of icebergs each year into Disko Bay.

Uummannaq Cover Wikimedia: Uummannaq

Uummannaq

This cover was made with a 9.00 DKK stamp that commemorate Matthew Henson and the 1909 expedition in which he was the first man to reach the North Pole. The stamp was issued in June of 2009.

The stamp was cancelled on 30 November 2009 in Uummannaq; a town of 1500 on an island in the Uummannaq Fjord, 590km north of the arctic circle. In the middle of the cancel is Uummannaq Mountain whose heart-shaped peaks feature very prominently over the town of Uummannaq. In Greenlandic, Uummannaq means "heart-shaped".

Upernavik Cover Wikimedia: Upernavik

Upernavik

The large 3.00 DKK stamp was part of the first in the Contemporary Art series issued in May of 2007. It was the last stamp designed by Jens Rosing: a famous Greenlandic stamp designer. In 2007 this stamp was voted the most beautiful Greenlandic stamp of 2007 and third most beautiful of European stamp of 2007. Sadly, a year after this stamp was issued, Jens Rosing passed away at the age of 83. The 5.50 DKK was from the second Contemporary Art series issued in January of 2008. This one was designed by Ina Rosing, Jens Rosing's daughter.

This cover was cancelled in Upernavik on 16 September 2009. A small town of 1200 situated on a small island far north of the arctic circle. Viking artifacts found in the area likely mean this was the northern most limit of Viking exploration.

Aasiaat Cover Wikimedia: Aasiaat

Aasiaat

The 8.25 DKK stamp on this cover is from the edible plants series issued in October of 2005 and features Mountain Sorrel. the stamp was cancelled in Aasiaat on 2 November 2009. This is actually a Christmas cancel. In Danish, "Send Juleposten I God Tid" means "Send Christmas mail in good time" which roughly means "Early mail for Christmas". A number of Tele-Post centers were canceling mail with this cancel in November of 2009. I'm guessing that the second phrase on the cancel is the same message in Greenlandic.

Aasiaat is a small community on the West Cost of Greenland, located on an island at the edge of Disko Bay.

Kangerlussuaq Cover Wikimedia: Kangerlussuaq

Kangerlussuaq

The 2009 Christmas stamps were used on this cover that was cancelled in Kangerlussuaq. I can't make out the data on the cancel but the machine cancel applied by Canada Post when this covered entered their system shows a date of 16 Dec 2009. I would guess this letter was cancelled in Greenland around the end of November. Again, another Christmas cancel appears on this letter. This cancel was only available in Kangerlussuaq during the Christmas season of 2009.

Kangerlussuaq is not a large community: it has a population of a little over 500. But its airport is the only one in Greenland that larger planes can land at. International flights from Copenhagen and Iceland use this airport to provide long distance access to Greenland.

Ittoqqortoormiit Maxicard Wikimedia: Kangerlussuaq

Ittoqqortoormiit

I sent this stamped postcard to Greenland Post to have it cancelled with the Ittoqqortoormiit postmark. Ittoqqortoormiit is a tiny village on the East coast of Greenland. It's very remote and very difficult to get to.





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