Due to poor harbour facilities, the town was moved three kilometers northward in 1830, where it remains today.

[3] The surrounding district extends from the island of Qeqertarsuaq near Alluitsup Paa down to Cape Farewell and the 60 km long Lindenow Fjord on the east coast.

The island measures about 10 km across and features two minor mountains: Quaqqarsuasik (Danish: Storfjeldet, lit.

Torssukatak Fjord, with the huge Thumbnail sea cliffs, and Pamiagdluk Island, are also within reach by chartered boat.

Winters in Nanortalik are very mild compared to the rest of Greenland, with average January temperature being -4 °C.

However, the summers are rather cold for this latitude, with an average July temperature 8 °C (in contrast with Helsinki, which is also in a similar latitude, but experiences warmer summers of around 17 °C) Crab fishing, hunting for hooded seals, and fishing from small boats are the main sources of income for the area's inhabitants.

Between 2004 and 2013, the Nalunaq goldmine was active in Kirkespir Valley (Kirkespirdalen; 60°21′34″N 44°49′54″W / 60.35944°N 44.83167°W / 60.35944; -44.83167 ), 30 km north Nanortalik.

During the spring, many Greenlanders hunt hooded seals among the outer islands, where the pack ice drifts up from the east coast on its way north.

In addition to seals, the pack ice also brings polar bears from the east coast – hence the name Nanortalik.

Bird life includes raven, ptarmigan, glaucous gull, Iceland gull, snow bunting, guillemot, eider, king eider, gyrfalcon, white-tailed eagle, redpoll, red-necked phalarope, various sandpipers, red-breasted merganser, red-throated diver, great northern diver, cormorant, long-tailed duck, puffin, northern wheatear, little auk, various ducks, and more rarely, snowy owls.

Despite the allusion to polar bears in its name, they are rare sights in Nanortalik, but occasionally come drifting in on sea ice from East Greenland from January to June.