Inuit Qeqertaat (or Kaffeklubben Island, as Danish explorers called it at the beginning of the 20th century) is the northernmost point a human can set foot on. The island consists mainly of dark gray gravel and is located just off the northern coast of Greenland.
In the hunt for the northernmost flower
The Earth is warming four times faster than the global average, and changes here have global consequences. To see if life can be found in this remote area, National Geographic explorers Brian Buma and Jeff Kerby decided to brave arctic conditions with the team.
On the gravel plain, scientists discovered the northernmost plant in the world, a common species of moss (Tortula mucronifolia). And just half a meter south of there grew a yellow and lime green flower of the poppy family: A rooted poppy.
Polar trip in pictures
Greenlandic archaeologist Aka Simonsen discovered a circle of seven-hundred-year-old stones on a nearby continent, probably left by Thule, the ancestors of the Inuit. They may be the northernmost archaeological remains in the world.
See here how the search went and what the researchers found.
Myrthe Prins has worked as a journalist for more than ten years – she wrote travel stories for Traveller, was a reporter for PZC and interviewed numerous scientists for her science column in National Geographic Magazine. In addition to his work as an online journalist, he writes poetry and prose, learns new languages and helps his team escape from escape rooms.