Greenland 🇬🇱

Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

72 00 N, 40 00 W

North America

slightly more than three times the size of Texas

0 km

44,087 km

flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

NA

continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap

protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

15 (2013)

59,455 (2012)

36,000 (2009)

.gl

276.6 million kWh (2010 est.)

279 million kWh (2010 est.)

0 kWh (2012 est.)

0 kWh (2012 est.)

137,000 kW (2010 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

3,897 bbl/day (2011 est.)

920 bbl/day (2010 est.)

5,164 bbl/day (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2011 est.)

0 cu m (2010 est.)

0 cu m (2011 est.)

0 cu m (2011 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2013 est.)

611,100 Mt (2011 est.)

18,900 (2012)

15,645 (2012)

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

no regular military forces

57,728 (July 2014 est.)

0.02% (2014 est.)

14.53 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

2.06 children born/woman (2014 est.)

-5.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

NUUK (capital) 16,000 (2011)

5.8 beds/1,000 population (2009)

9.2% (2007 est.)

1.67 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

NA

NA

NA

managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland; Denmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission

parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

4 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Kujalleq, Qaasuitsup, Qeqqata, Sermersooq

previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) (2009)

18 years of age; universal

the laws of Denmark apply

unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (Landsting) (31 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Candidate List (Kattusseqatigiit) or K [Anthon FREDERIKSEN]//Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D [Jens B. FREDERIKSEN]//Forward Party (Siumut) or S [Aleqa HAMMOND]//Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Kuupik KLEIST]//Inuit Party (Partii Inuit) or PI [Nikku OLSEN]//Solidarity Party (Atassut) or A [Gerhardt PETERSEN]

conservationists; environmentalists

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white; the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as those of the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark

Greenlandic (East Inuit) (official), Danish (official), English

Evangelical Lutheran, traditional Inuit spiritual beliefs

Inuit 89%, Danish and other 11% (2009)

polar bear

the Greenland Broadcasting Company provides public radio and TV services throughout the island with a broadcast station and a series of repeaters; a few private local TV and radio stations; Danish public radio rebroadcasts are available (2007)

Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

79.6% of GDP (2010)

1.9% of GDP (2010)

2.8% (2011 est.)//1.7% (2010 est.)

$36.4 million (2010)//$58 million (2009)

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar -//5.695 (2011)//5.6241 (2012)//5.6241 (2010)//5.361 (2009)//5.0236 (2008)

$2.16 billion (2011 est.)

fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

NA%

28,600 (2011)

9.4% (2013 est.)//4.2% (2010 est.)

The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and fish, income from resource exploration and extraction, and on a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government. The subsidy was budgeted to be about $651 million in 2012, approximately 56% of government revenues that year. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in Greenland's economy. Greenland's real GDP contracted about 1% in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown, but is estimated to have grown marginally in 2010-13. The relative ease with which Greenland has weathered the economic crisis is due to increased hydrocarbon and mineral exploration and extraction activities, a high level of construction activity in the Nuuk area and the increasing price of fish and shrimp. During the last decade the Greenland Home Rule Government (GHRG) pursued conservative fiscal and monetary policies, but public pressure has increased for better schools, health care and retirement systems. The Greenlandic economy has benefited from increasing catches and exports of shrimp, Greenland halibut and, more recently, crabs. Due to Greenland's continued dependence on exports of fish - which accounted for 89% of exports in 2010 - the economy remains very sensitive to foreign developments. International consortia are increasingly active in exploring for hydrocarbon resources off Greenland's western coast, and international studies indicate the potential for oil and gas fields in northern and northeastern Greenland. In May 2007 a US aluminum producer concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Greenland Home Rule Government to build an aluminum smelter and a power generation facility, which takes advantage of Greenland's abundant hydropower potential. Within the area of mining, olivine sand continues to be produced and gold production has resumed in south Greenland, while rare-earth and iron ore mineral projects have been proposed or planned elsewhere on the island. Tourism also offers another avenue of economic growth for Greenland, with increasing numbers of cruise lines now operating in Greenland's western and southern waters during the peak summer tourism season.

$2.133 billion (2011 est.)//$2.071 billion (2010 est.)//$1.974 billion (2009 est.)

3% (2011 est.)//4.9% (2010 est.)//-2.7% (2009 est.)

$38,400 (2008 est.)//$36,600 (2007 est.)

forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish

calendar year

$384.3 million (2010)//$358 million (2009)

Denmark 60.4%, Japan 14.6%, China 7.9% (2012)

fish and fish products 89%, metals 10% (2008)

$814.2 million (2010)//$726 million (2009)

Denmark 65.4%, Sweden 17.5%, Netherlands 5.5% (2012)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products