Greenland: the magnetic north in pictures

Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland. Wooden houses on the shore of Disko Bay, with growlers (icebergs less than five metres long) washed up on the beach Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

Qeqertarsuaq. A husky dog and her pup on the beach, and icebergs gathered offshore in Disko Bay. Qeqertasuaq used to be a whaling town, now it's a quiet hunting and fishing community and a great place to go hiking inland Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

A house on stilts at sunset in the village of Ukkusissat, which is named after the soapstone that has been mined near here by Inuit craftsman for centuries Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

Uummannaq. An old man holds court in a traditional turf cottage that is now a national heritage building. He had Mozart on the radio and a plate of cold cuts (probably reindeer) and a thermos at the ready for anyone who dropped by Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

Kangerlussua. Overlooking a glacier, the skull and antlers of a reindeer mark the spot of a recent reindeer hunt. In this harsh environment, where nothing much grows, anything that moves is fair game Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

Itilleq. A washing line in this picturesque village (population 130). Drying laundry – and fish – are two of the most distinctive sights of west Greenland. Others are prams left outside houses – prams and assorted bits of dead reindeer and musk oxen. Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

Itilleq. A little girl plays on a swing and holds a mobile phone that is playing Abba's “Mamma Mia” over and over again Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

The Fram, an Italian-built, Norwegian-owned cruise liner that carries 400 passengers, drops anchor at the village of Ukkusissat, population 190 Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk

One of the works in an exhibition on seals by class 9 of Edvard Kruse school, Uummannaq Photograph: Carol McDaid/guardian.co.uk