densely populated. That part of the country which is not ice- 
covered consists here, as elsewhere in Greenland, of a rather 
small strip bounded on the one side by the ocean and on the 
other by the inland-ice: at Julianehaab the distance from the 
margin of the inland-ice to the outermost skerries in the ocean 
is about ninety kilometers. 
The coast-line is intersected by a large number of fjords 
with an average direction from south-west to north-east. Some 
of them at their heads meet with the outlets of the inland-ice 
and receive icebergs from it. The outer skerries and the 
peninsulas have low, bare cliffs, but further inwards, the moun- 
tains become gradually higher and some vegetation occurs upon 
their lower slopes. Bordering the inner parts of the fjords we 
find magnificent snowcapped mounlains, and here a compara- 
tively rich vegetation covers the floor of the valleys. But no- 
where is the least trace of a wood to be found; this in com- 
bination with the numerous floating icebergs which are seen 
in the fjords even during the warmest summer months, has the 
effect of rendering the general character of the scenery entirely 
Arctic in spite of the relatively low latitude. 
At Julianehaab the mean temperature for the whole year 
is very near 0° Centigrade, and for the summer months (July, 
August) it is about 8°. Around the inner branches of the long 
fjords the summer is even somewhat warmer, and trees could 
possibly grow there, if there were localities where they could 
be sheltered from the dry and strong easterly gales. The rain- 
fall is considerable; at Ivigtut, about 120 kilometers west of 
the district we are considering, the average annual rainfall is 
1:24 meters, and it is probably similar at Julianehaab. The 
snow-line is at a height of 1100 to 1150 meters above sea-level. 
Under these conditions the chemical decomposition of mine- 
rals and rocks by atmospheric agencies takes place very slowly, 
and the geologist can almost everywhere procure without diffi- 
cuity rock-specimens in a fresh condition. 
