Akilineq facts for kids

Akilineq is an interesting word from the Inuit language. It means "the opposite country." People have different ideas about what Akilineq really was. Some think it was a made-up, mythical place. Others believe it was a real area in northeastern North America. Some even wonder if it might have been Europe!

What Does Akilineq Mean?

Akilineq is a special word, or toponym, from the Inuit language. It literally means "the opposite country." Over time, people have had different ideas about what this "opposite country" might have been.

A Land Across the Water

One idea is that Akilineq was a term used by Inuit people living in West Greenland. They used it to talk about lands across the Davis Strait. This strait is a narrow sea passage between Greenland and Canada. The lands they referred to included places like the Labrador Peninsula and Baffin Island. These are both large areas in Canada. So, for the West Greenland Inuit, Akilineq was the land on the other side of the water.

A Faraway Land to the East

Another theory comes from a Danish explorer named Gustav Frederik Holm. In the 1880s, Holm was on a polar expedition. He recorded what the East Greenlanders told him. They described Akilineq as a land far to the east. Based on their descriptions, Holm believed they were talking about Iceland. Iceland is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Greenland.

A Meeting Place for Trade

Akilineq was also sometimes used to describe special trading spots. These were places where the Inuit people and their neighboring groups would meet. They would trade goods and share information. Two possible locations for these trading sites were near the Akilineq Hills. These hills are located at the mouth of the Thelon River. Another possible spot was on the north shores of Lake Aberdeen. Both of these places are in what is now Nunavut, Canada.