JAKOBSHAVN

Greenlandic Ilulssat town on the west coast of Greenland, near the mouth of Jakobshavn Fjord on Disko Bay. The town's first permanent houses were built by Danes in 1741 on the site of a Greenlandic (Eskimo) settlement. It was named in honour of Jakob Severin, who, in a 1739 naval battle, defeated four Dutch vessels in Disko Bay. Jakobshavn was the birthplace of the explorer Knud Rasmussen. The town has a number of 18th-century buildings, two small harbours, a shrimp canning plant, a memorial to Rasmussen, and a heliport. The town's Greenlandic name means icebergs. Pop. (1989 est.) 4,239.