Jakobshavn - or Ilulissat as it is called in Greenlandic - lies at 68 degrees North latitude and 51 degrees West longitude, around 290 kilometres North of Arctic Circle in the Disko bay on the West coast of Greenland. The town has a population of around 4,300; the number of dogs here is far greater - 6,000 in total, and all of them sled dogs. There are hardly any cars, and the few cars here are mainly taxis that travel the small number of roads - but not for any great distance, since the metalled roads end just behind the last houses. The dog sleds have right of way during the winter months in any case. A mere two kilometres behind the last houses of Ilulissat, a huge glacier constantly pushes new icebergs into Disko bay. It is these ephemeral creations that gave the burgeoning small town its name:
Ilulissat means "Cliffs of Ice".
