Nuuk mainland, and was named Godthåb ("Good Hope"). The city officially adopted its current name in 1979, although the name "Godthåb" remained in use in Danish. "Nuuk" is the Kalaallisut word for "cape" (). It is so named because of its position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea. Its latitude, at 64°10' N, makes it the world's northernmost capital, only a few kilometres farther north than the Icelandic capital Reykjavík. The campus of the University of Greenland, hosting Statistics Greenland, and the main holdings of the Public and National Library of
Nuuk Center first underground car park. Nuuk Center was welcomed by the local businesses, headed by Nuuk Centre Association, and generally seen as a vehicle for strengthening the presence of local enterprises. By having a centrally placed mall, local businesses could thereby better compete with multinationals. The mall was also seen as an employment opportunity. The mall did not receive an uncritical welcome, however. While some expressed concerns the mall would change both the dynamics and the esthetics of the city, others saw the mall as a threat to traditional trading customs. Members of the older generation perceived Nuuk as becoming "too