Greenland

I

Introduction

Greenland (Greenlandic Kalaallit Nunaat; Danish Grønland), island which is an internally self-governing part of Denmark, situated between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Greenland lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle and is separated from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, on the west, primarily by Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, and from Iceland, on the east, by the Denmark Strait. The largest island in the world, Greenland has a maximum extent, from its northernmost point on Cape Morris Jesup to Cape Farewell in the extreme south, of 2,660 km (1,650 mi). The maximum distance from east to west is 1,300 km (800 mi). The entire coast, which is deeply indented with fjords, is roughly estimated at 44,000 km (27,000 mi). The total area of Greenland is 2,170,000 sq km (840,000 sq mi), of which 1,834,000 sq km (708,000 sq mi) is ice cap. The capital and largest city is Nuuk.

II

Land and Resources

Greenland consists of an interior ice-covered plateau surrounded by a mountainous, generally ice-free, rim. The interior ice cap varies in thickness, measuring 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in the center of the island. Underneath the ice cover are the ancient rocks of the Greenland Shield, which is geologically related to the Canadian Shield. The greatest heights of land are along the eastern coast, where the extreme elevation is Gunnbjørn Fjeld (about 3,700 m/ 12,000 ft). Drainage is afforded mainly by the so-called ice fjords, in which glaciers from the ice caps pass through valleys to the sea, where they form thousands of icebergs each year. The climate is extremely cold, but during the short summer in the south the mean temperature is 9° C (48° F). The mammals of Greenland are more American than European, and include the musk-ox, wolf, lemming, and reindeer. The varieties of seal and whale, and most of the species of fish and seabirds, are also American rather than European. Circumpolar animals, such as the polar bear, arctic fox, polar hare, and stoat, are also found.

III

Population

Greenlanders are a people of mixed ancestry, primarily Inuit and European, especially Danish-Norwegian. The total population of Greenland (2007 estimate) is 56,344. Nearly all the population is located on the narrow southwestern coastal fringe.

The capital, Nuuk, formerly known as Godthåb (2001 population, 14,000), is located on the southwestern coast. Nuuk is the largest and oldest Danish settlement on the island, having been founded in 1721. Holsteinsborg (also called Sisimiut; 1994 population, 4,839), on the western coast just north of the Arctic Circle, is the second largest town. Other settlements include Julianehåb (Qaqortoq), Frederikshåb (Paamiut), and Narsaq (Narssaq), on the southern coast; Thule (Qaanaaq), on the northwestern coast; and Ammassalik (Angmagssalik), on the eastern coast.

---

---

Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14. About 85 school centers were in operation in 1992, instructing primarily in Greenlandic (an Inuit language with some Danish words). Danish, the other official language of Greenland, is also used in the schools. A university is located at Nuuk.

IV

Economy

Fishing, sealing, and fur trapping are the principal economic activities in Greenland, which must rely on large amounts of financial support from Denmark. The fish catch is primarily cod, shrimp, and salmon; fish processing is the major manufacturing industry. Agriculture is only possible on one percent of Greenland's total area. Cattle, sheep, and goats are raised in small numbers in some portions of the southwestern coast, and hardy vegetables are grown. Greenland was formerly the world's main source of natural cryolite, a mineral used in the manufacture of aluminum, but by the late 1980s, reserves were exhausted. Lead and zinc were also produced until the mines were exhausted in 1990, and deposits of coal and uranium are known to exist. Denmark is Greenland's largest trading partner, and its main exports are fish, hides and skins, and fish oil. Thule Air Base (formerly Dundas) in the north supports a community of American and Danish civilian and military personnel.