Ilulissat orienteering map on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
By Olav Odgaard, Ilulissat Orienteering Greenland – October 2004

Ilulissat Icefjord and surrounding terrain are inscribed on UNESCO´s World Heritage List.
A part of this terrain is situated on Ilulissat o-map.

In the IOG invitation to Arctic Midnight Orienteering phrases are used like:

- Orienteering competitions in magnificent Greenland nature.
- An orienteering experience out of the ordinary.
- Combine orienteering competitions with unique experiences in beautiful nature.

Now we can confirm it is not only the people behind Ilulissat Orienteering Greenland who says that.
In July 2004 the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee admitted Ilulissat Icefjord and the surrounded area into the World Heritage List over the world’s natural and cultural heritage. About third of the orienteering map is situated in this area.
So now is it certified, the area surround Ilulissat Icefjord is in ranking among the most unique places in the world, together with other places on the World Heritage List like Niagara Falls and Yellowstone National Park in US, the pyramides in Cairo, the Chinese Wall and others.
The point with a World Heritage List is protecting world’s natural and cultural heritage against destruction, so that future generations also can enjoy all the globes fantastic landscape and cultural memories.
It is at the same time decided, that the protection of the area at Ilulissat Icefjord will not influence Ilulissat Orienteering´s continued use of the terrain for orienteering purposes.
I wonder if there are other orienteering maps at all with such status?

Examples of the characteristic of Ilulissat Icefjord:
The icestream from the above 3,000 square kilometres large glacier Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the fast and most active glacier in the world and move about 20 metres all the 24 hours. The glacier calves over 35 cubic kilometres of ice annually corresponding to 10 percent of greenland inland icecap that is pushed out into the sea. It is more than any other glacier outside the Antarctic Continent. Add to this, it is an essential evidence about the lastest Ice Age fourth, and is constantly object for scientific interest.

In millenniums the glacial processes had vital influence on the landscape and the human historic in the territory. The Icebergs has been cource of richness and survival for populations throughout the Age of Puritanism. In all 4 phases where Greenland has been inhabited there has been settlements at Ilulissat Icefjord.
First with Saqqaq culture for 4,500 yers ago (About the same time as the pyramides in Egypt was built), later the Dorset culture for about 2,800 yers ago and latest the Thule culture.

When a territory turn into World Heritage it implies an extraordinary acknowledgement and status. At he same time it is a claim to respect that the territorital values remain without deteriovs, because the World Heritage belongs to all people on the Earth, no matter in which country it exists. The protection is a response of the whole international society.

The magnificent beauty of Ilulissat Icefjord is due to a unique combination off icebergs from the glacier in the bottom of the fjord and the presence of an iceberg hill (submarine hill) at the mouth of the ice fjord.
Those majestic icebergs float towards the mouth where the biggest of them run aground at 250 metres deep sea, create an incessant drama of changed, colours and sounds from melting and crashed ice masses.

All orienteers who loves the nature and different orienteering should at least one time in life try:

Orienteering experience out of the ordinary in unique and magnificent Greenland nature.