Thule Air Base, Military air base in northwest Greenland
Thule Air Base is a military installation in northwest Greenland, roughly 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The site includes an asphalt runway and a deepwater harbor along North Star Bay.
Construction started in 1951 during Cold War tensions and required a workforce of 12000 people. The facility emerged as part of a defense line between North America and the Soviet Union.
The name Thule comes from the ancient term for the northernmost inhabited point of the world. The installation sits in a region where hunting and fishing have shaped human life for thousands of years.
The facility lies in a remote arctic zone where extreme cold and long polar nights prevail. Access for civilians is not permitted, as it remains an active military installation.
An icebreaker keeps flight routes clear by managing icebergs in the bay. The vessel also supports maritime operations during the brief summer months.
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