Background: The world's largest island, about 84% ice-capped,
Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by the Danish parliament.
The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise
control of Greenland's foreign affairs.
Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional
monarchy
Capital: Nuuk (Godthab)
Currency: 1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere
Geography of Greenland
Location: Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North
Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N, 40 00 W
Area:
total: 2,175,600 sq km
land: 2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq km ice-covered) (est.)
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 44,087 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous,
barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources: zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum,
uranium, fish, seals, whales
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 99% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Environment - current issues: protection of the arctic environment;
preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and
seal hunting
Geography - note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and
Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; world's second
largest ice cap
People of Greenland
Population: 56,375 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.69%
15-64 years: 67.87%
65 years and over: 5.44%
Population growth rate: 0.06%
Birth rate: 16.52 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 7.58 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 17.77 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.37 years
male: 64.82 years
female: 72.01 years
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites),
Danish and others 12%
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: similar to Denmark
SOURCE: The World Factbook |