Nuuk, formerly Godthåb, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in the world, and the largest city in Greenland. Its present name is the Kalaallisut for "Cape", from its position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in Greenland. The major cities closest to the capital are Iqaluit and St. John's in Canada and Reykjavik in Iceland.
Nuuk is the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. In January of 2010, it had a population of 15,469, making it one of the smallest capital cities in the world by population.
Nuuk has a maritime-influenced polar climate (Köppen ET) with cold, snowy winters and cool summers. In December, the sun rises at 10:00 and sets at 14:30. By contrast, from late May to early August the days are long. Temperatures average below freezing for 7 months of the year. The coldest month is March, at −8 °C (17.6 °F), while the warmest is July, at 6.5 °C (43.7 °F), while the year averages out at −1.42 °C (29.4 °F). Extremes have ranged from −29.5 °C (−21 °F) to 24.2 °C (76 °F).