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An iceberg floats near a harbour in the town of Kulusuk, east Greenland August 1, 2009.
REUTERS/Bob Strong
The population of Kulusuk was 310 in 2005. Medical services are provided by one resident Danish nurse and one resident educated local helper. The school, which was rebuilt in 2005, has about 70 pupils with a high degree of educated teachers. The church was constructed by the crew of a Danish sailing vessel that ran aground on the nearby coast and constructed from the timbers of the ship itself. A model of the ship still hangs above the organ of the church. The cemetery is located about 200 metres from the centre of the village. No names appear on the crosses in honour of the Inuit tradition that the name of the deceased is passed on to another at death and lives on to the next generation. Unemployment is high and many of the villagers depend upon tourism to supplement the more traditional pursuits of hunting and fishing.
