Greenland

I

Introduction

Greenland (Greenlandic Kalaallit Nunaat; Danish Grønland), largest island on Earth. Greenland lies mostly north of the Arctic Circle and is part of North America. A giant ice sheet covers about 80 percent of its land surface, second only to the massive ice sheet on Antarctica. The Greenland ice sheet affects climate and weather in the northern hemisphere and is sensitive to global warming. If the Greenland ice sheet melted, it would raise sea level worldwide by 7 m (23 ft). Greenland has a small population and is an internally self-governing part of Denmark. The capital and largest city is Nuuk.

Greenland is situated in the Arctic south of the North Pole and between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The northern tip of Greenland lies less than 730 km (453 mi) away from the North Pole. West of Greenland, Davis Strait and Baffin Bay separate the island from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. To the south, the Labrador Sea lies between Greenland and Labrador. On the east, Greenland borders the Greenland Sea and is separated from Iceland by the Denmark Strait.

Greenland has a broadly tapered shape and is about twice as long north to south as it is wide. It 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 about 1,834,000 sq km (708,000 sq mi) is ice cap. Greenland is about 2.7 times the size of New Guinea, the second largest island in the world, but is only about 28 percent the size of Australia, the smallest continent.

II

Land and Resources of Greenland

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.

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The greatest heights of land are along the eastern coast, where the highest point is Gunnbjørn Fjeld (about 3,700 m/12,000 ft), a mountain peak that protrudes through the ice sheet. 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 Ilulissat ice fjord, on the west coast, is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world. The glacier was protected under the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.

The climate is extremely cold. In the winter, temperatures in central Greenland may fall to -60°C (-76°F). Coastal areas are warmer but generally remain below freezing during the winter. During the short summer in the south the mean temperature is 9°C (48°F). In some places the highest summer temperature can exceed 20°C (68°F).

Most of the hundreds of species of plants found in Greenland are more closely related to European flora than to North American plants. Many grow as part of Arctic tundra environments. Plants include ferns, sedges, flowering plants, shrubs, and small trees. There are no forests. However, cores from the base of the ice sheet indicate that conifer forests existed on the island about 450,000 years ago.

The mammals of Greenland are more North 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 North American rather than European. Circumpolar animals, such as the polar bear, arctic fox, polar hare, and stoat, are also found.

Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest national park in the world and lies along the northeast coast and further inland. It was established by the Danish government in 1974 and expanded in 1988. The park was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1977. It covers 972,000 square km (375,000 square mi), or about 44 percent of the entire island.

III

Population of Greenland

Greenlanders are a people of mixed ancestry, primarily Inuit and European, especially Danish-Norwegian. The great majority of Greenlanders identify themselves as ethnic Inuit. The total population of Greenland (2009 estimate) is 57,600. Nearly all the population is located on the narrow southwestern coastal fringe. The official language is Greenlandic (an Inuit language with some Danish words). Prior to a referendum in 2008, Greenland had two official languages, Greenlandic and Danish. The referendum made only Greenlandic the official language, although Danish continues to be spoken there. English is also spoken.

The capital, Nuuk, formerly known as Godthåb (2003 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. Danish is also used in the schools. A university is located at Nuuk.

IV

Economy of Greenland

Fishing is the principal economic activity 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. Other activities include sealing and fur trapping.

Agriculture is only possible on about 1 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.

The mineral resources of Greenland are a potential source of economic growth and development. 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. Other potential mineral resources include diamonds and gold. Geological surveys indicate the possibility of large off-shore deposits of petroleum. Hydroelectric power from lakes and melting glaciers provides electricity to some towns and could be used to smelt aluminum in the future.

Denmark is Greenland’s largest trading partner, and its main exports are fish, hides and skins, and fish oil. Greenland also exports seafood to the European Union. Thule Air Base at Pituffik in the north supports a community of American and Danish civilian and military personnel. Tourism is a growing sector of the economy of Greenland, particularly visiting cruise ships.

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