Geography

Location:

The world's largest non-continental island on the northern American continentbetween the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada. The northernmost point of Greenland, Cape Morris Jesup, is only 740 km from then North Pole. The southernmost point is Cape Farewell, which lies at about the same latitude as Oslo om Norway.

Geographic coordinates:

72 00 N, 40 00 W

Area:

2,166,086 km²

Ice-free area:

410,449 km²

Coastline:

44,087 km

Largest distances:

North-South 2,670 km, East-West 1,050 km

Highest point:

Gunnbjørns Fjeld 3,693 m

Terrain:

Flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast. The ice cap is up to 3 km thick, and contains 10 percent of the worlds ressources of freshwater

Climate:

Arctic to subarctic; cool winters and cold summers in which the meantemperature does not exceed 10°

Meantemperature, January:

Qaqortoq -6.0°, Nuuk -8.6°, Kangerlussuaq -19.3°, Ilulissat -12.6° (2005)

Meantemperature, July:

Qaqortoq: 9.2°, Nuuk 8.3°, Kangerlussuaq 11.1°, Ilulissat 9.1° (2005)

Natural resources:

Zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

Plant Life:

Low-growing mountain and tundra plants: mosses, lichens, heather, crowberry, bog, whortleberry and dwarf birch

Animal Life:

Fish species, marine mammals: seals, walrus, whales, polar bears, land mammals: arctic fox, arctic wolf, reindeer, musk oxe, collard lemming, snowhare and a rich bird life which comprises som 50 breeding species

National parks:

Greenland National park aprox. 972.000 km² comprises the northeastern part of the country

Natur Conservations:

At the Melville Bay aprox. 20.000 km² plus a protected area at Sarfartooq (The Paradise Valley) in Maniitsoq municipality

Environment issues:

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

Geography - note:

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

Population

Population:

56,901 (Jan. 2006)

Density:

0.14 pr. km² ice free area (Jan. 2006)

Population in the capital:

Nuuk 14,931 (Jan. 2006)

Population in towns:

47,073 (Jan. 2006)

Population in settlements:

9,431 (Jan. 2006)

Population growth rate:

-0.12 pct. (2005)

Death rate, total:

8.3 deaths / 1,000 population (2004)

Net migration

-448 (2005)

Infant mortality rate, total:

11,2 deaths / 1000 live births (2004)

Life expectancy:

Female: 70 years, Men: 65 years (2004)

Total fertility rate:

61,9 liveborn per 1,000 women aged 15-49 years (2004)

People living with HIV/AIDS:

6 (2005)

Nationality:

Noun: Greenlander(s), adjective: Greenlandic

Ethnic groups:

Inuit 89 percent, Danish and others 11 percent (jan. 2006)

Religions:

Evangelical Lutheran

Languages:

Greenlandic (kalaallisut)

Government

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

Capital:

Nuuk (Godthåb)

National holiday:

June 21 (longest day)

Legal system:

Danish

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Membership of the EU:

From January 1 1973 until February 1 1985

Chief of state:

HMS Dronning Margrethe II of Denmark

Head of government:

Prime Minister Hans Enoksen (Siumut) (since December 14 2002)

Legislative branch:

Landstinget (the parliament with 31 members)

Judicial branch:

High Court or Landsret

The greenlandic flag:

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

Symbol of the flag:

The sun, the fjords and the ice cap

Economy

GDP:

10,210 mio. kr. (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

2,0 percent in 1981-prices (2005)

Disposable GNI per capita:

239.000 kr. (2005)

Grossincome per household

Highest 25 percent: 788,000 kr. Lowest 25 percent 78,000 kr. Average: 354,000 kr.(2005)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9 pct. (Jul 2005 - Jul 2006)

Labor force:

27,590 (15-62 years born in Greenland Jan. 2006)

Unemployment rate:

9.3 percent affected by unemployment in towns (2005)

Budget:

Income: 8.0 mia. kr. Expenditures: 7,5 mia. kr. including capital expenditures of 0,5 mia. kr. (2005)

Industries:

Fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut), handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards, mining

Electricity - production:

310 GWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:

173 GWh (2002/2003)

Agriculture - products:

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

Exports:

2,426 mio. kr. f.o.b. (final figures 2005)

Exports - commodities:

Fish and fish products 87 percent (prawns 55 percent)

Exports - partners:

EU (primarily Denmark) 96 percent, Spain 6 percent, other European countries 2 percent, Asia 2 percent (final figures 2005)

Imports:

3,591 mio. kr. c.i.f. (final figures 2005)

Imports - commodities:

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

Imports - partners:

EU (primarily Denmark and Sweden) 97 percent, Canada and USA 2 percent (final figures 2005)

Balance of trade:

-1.166 mio. kr. (final figures 2005)

Economic aid, recipient:

3,069 mio. kr. subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Currency:

Danish krone (DKK)

Exchange rates:

100 US $ = 600.3 DKK, 100 EUR = 745,2 DKK (average in 2005)

Fiscal year:

Calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:

24,403 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

46,480 (2005)

Direction dial number:

299

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 12

Radios

98 percent of all households has a radio (2002)

Television broadcast stations

Kalaallit Nunaata Radio-a national TV plus some locale TV stations

TV-products:

97 percent of all households has a TV (2002)

Newspapers:

Atuagagdliutit/Grønlandsposten (AG) og Sermitsiaq

Internet country code:

.gl

Internet suppliers:

1

Internet connections:

16,513 (2005)

Transportation

Railways:

0 km

Ports and harbors:

Ports in 16 towns plus harbors in 60 settlements

Airports:

12 airports, five heliports and 41 helistop