
	One World Nations Online

Home

Earth

Continents

Europe

Denmark

Greenland

___ Greenland

Scoresby Sound, a large fjord system in south east coast of Greenland.
Image: Hannes Grobe

Flag of Greenland

Location map of Greenland

A virtual guide to Greenland. First of all Greenland is not a continent even if it looks like one on many maps, no it is just the world's largest island. And it is cold, about 80% of its surface is ice-capped.

Kalaallit Nunaat (the Inuit name for the island) is not an independent state but a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark. Greenland shares maritime borders with Canada, Iceland, and Norway.

Greenland has a quite small population, just about 56,100 (in 2016) people live on an area of 2,166,086 km²; this makes the island the least densely populated place on earth, apart from the Antarctic. The 12th largest geographic entity in the world is almost four times the size of France, or slightly more than three times the size of the U.S. state of Texas.

Greenland - Kalaallit Nunaat

Country Profile

Background:
In the 18th century Danes began to colonize the island and in 1953 Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark.

In 1978 the Danish parliament granted Greenland self-government and in the following year the law went into effect.

Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland.

In 1973 Greenland joined the European Union with Denmark but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute over stringent fishing quotas.

Official Name:
Kalaallit Nunaat
Greenland
danish: Grønland

ISO Country Code: gl, GRL

Time:
Time Zone:
Local Time = UTC 0 to -4h
Nuuk Actual Time: Wed-Apr-17 06:05

Country Calling Code: +299

Capital City: Nuuk (Godthab, Godthåb)

Other Cities: Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), Qaqortoq (Julianehåb), Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen).

Government:
Type: Parliamentary Democracy within a constitutional monarchy.
Dependency status: Part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979.

Geography:
Location: Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada.
Area: 2,166,086 km² (836,297 sq. mi.)
Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast.
Highest point: Gunnbjorn 3 700 m

Climate: Arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters.

People:
Nationality: noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Population: 56,100 (2016)
Ethnic Groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (2000)
Religions: Christianity
Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: 100%

Natural resources: Fish, seals, whales, gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron, diamonds, ice, water, hydropower.

Agriculture products: Forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish

Industries: Fish processing (mainly prawns and Greenland halibut), handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards, mining

Exports - commodities: fish and fish products 91% (2015 est.)

Exports - partners: Denmark 51.6%, China 11.1%, Japan 9.1%, Russia 7.2% (2015)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products

Imports - partners: Denmark 67.1%, Sweden 14.1%, Iceland 5.1% (2015)

Currency: Danish Krone (DKK)

Katuaq cultural center in Nuuk, Greenland's capital city.
Image: Alankomaat

Political system
Greenland is a self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark with a multi-party system. Head of state is the monarch of Denmark, represented by a High Commissioner. Head of government is the Prime Minister (Premier), elected by Parliament. The Parliament of Greenland is the country's legislative branch.

Official Sites of Greenland

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Greenland Home Rule Government - Naalakkersuisut
Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, governed by the Home Rule administration.

Diplomatic Missions:
High Commissioner of Greenland
The High Commissioner is the chief representative of the Danish Government in Greenland.

Statistics
Grønlands Statistiks
Statistics Greenland Information Service.

Maps

Map of Greenland
A map of Greenland.

Google Earth Greenland
Searchable map and satellite view of Greenland.

Google Earth Nuuk
Searchable map and satellite view of Greenland's capital.

Map of North America
Reference Map of North America.

Map of Europe
Political map of States of the European Union, EFTA, with cities and capitals.


News The Arctic Journal Regional news. Greenlandtoday Greenland magazine. Kamikposten - Nyheder Greenland news (in Dansk). Sermitsiaq One of two national newspapers in Greenland (in Dansk). Radio/TV Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa - KNR Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation.	Bookmark/share this page

Arts & Culture

Gitz-Johansen

The Danish artist (1897-1977) is best known for his paintings of the people and nature of Greenland. Named "Qaalipaarsorsuaq" ("The Great Painter") by the people.

Julemandens hjemmeside
The Santa Claus of Greenland.

Culture & Spirit
Culture Greenland, a portal to Greenland's culture.
Katuaq
Culturel Center of Greenland.
Museums in Greenland
A guide to Greenland's museums.
National Library of Greenland
Nuuk Art Museum
Nuuk's Art Museum is housed in a former Adventist church, it showcases a notable collection of historic and modern art.

Greenland National Museum & Archives
Preserves the Greenland cultural heritage.

Silamiut (site offline)
Greenland's Theatre, Silamiut is a Greenlandic theater troupe based in Nuuk .
Tupilaks
Inuit crafts - Tupilak means 'soul of the ancestor’ and is a carved figure that protects its owner against enemy attack, but is now a popular souvenir.

Sports
Arctic Circle Race
The cross-country skiing race takes place around Sisimiut on Greenland's west coast approx. 65 km north of the Arctic Circle.
Polar Circle Marathon
A unique arctic race, the coolest marathon on earth.

Kayak hunting
© Lars Reimers - greenland.com

Greenland Kids
© Steen Karup - greenland.com

Business & Economy

The economy of Greenland can be characterized as small, mixed and vulnerable. Greenland is dependent on exports of fish and on support from the Danish Government. In 2013 almost 47% of Greenland's export came from cold water shrimp, 26% from halibut and 15% from other fish.

__Airline
air greenland
The national airline of Greenland, changed its name from "Grønlandsfly" to air greenland.

__Maritime Shipping
Arctic Umiaq Line A/S
Royal Arctic Line
Greenland's national shipping line.

Products of Greenland
Royal Greenland
The world's largest producer of cold water prawns also specialized in fishing and processing quality seafood.

Greenland's Icecap
© Photo: Karsten Bidstrup - greenland.com

Tasiilaq is the largest of the few communities on the sparsely populated eastern coast of Greenland.
Image: Filip Gielda

Travel and Tour Consumer Information

Destination Greenland - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Greenland:
Find accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, skiing, hiking, climbing, kayaking, cruising, tours and much more.

Greenland.com
Country and travel guide by Greenland Tourism, the national tourist board.
Greenland basic facts
Geography, geology, language, history etc.

Greenland Guide
Welcome to the last white spot on Earth, the official guide to Greenland. The travel information is provided by the national tourist board.

Cities:
Nuuk (Godthab, Godthåb)
The municipality of Nuuk, capital of Greenland.
Nuuk Tourism
The tourist office in Nuuk.

Portrait of Greenland from Of Two Lands on Vimeo.


University of Greenland. Greenland's only university is located in Nuuk. Image: Nanopixi Education Ilisimatusarfik The University of Greenland. Grønlands Naturinstitute Displays the work of the institute. (in Dansk and Greenlandic)

Northern lights (Aurora Borealis) in Greenland

Northern lights in Greenland. Northern lights or Aurora Borealis, a phenomen that appeares around the Earth's magnetic pole. Auroras are produced when the solar wind hits the magnetosphere, the resulting ionization emits light of varying color and complexity.
Image: Mads Pihl

Environment & Nature

Arktisk Station
An Arctic Research Institution in Greenland.

Danish Polar Center
The Danish Polar Center was a knowledge and service center for scientists and institutions that deal with polar research and arctic matters. The government agency was closed in 2009.

Greenland Environmental Observatory
GEOSummit is a year-round Arctic sampling station funded by the National Science Foundation.

Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2
3053.44 meters of ice drilling.

Mega-Canyon Found Under Greenland Ice Sheet
Hidden for all of human history, a 460 mile long canyon has been discovered below Greenland's ice sheet. Using radar data from NASA's Operation IceBridge.

The Peregrine Fund - Greenland--Conservation Projects
Conserve and understand Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon populations and their environments in Greenland and other arctic areas.

East Greenland landscape west of Myggbukta.
Image: Dave Stanley


History Culture and History in Greenland from the Greenland Guide. The Fate of Greenland's Vikings Article on permafrost archaeology by Dale Mackenzie Brown. The norse settlers in Greenland - A short history The Norse History of Greenland 982-1500.

Sources and additional Information on Greenland

BBC Country Profile: Greenland

Ethnologue report for Greenland
Languages of Greenland.

GlobalEDGE: Greenland

OEC: Greenland

Wikipedia: Greenland

The World Factbook -- Greenland