Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook
| Greenland |

Introduction | Greenland

Background: | The world's largest island, Greenland is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the European Union) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute over stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs.

Geography | 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
Map references: | Arctic Region
Area: | total: 2,166,086 sq km land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)
Area - comparative: | slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 44,087 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
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: | coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
Land use: | arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)
Irrigated land: | NA sq km
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, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap

People | Greenland

Population: | 56,375 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 25% (male 7,216/female 6,888) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 20,897/female 17,823) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 1,672/female 1,879) (2005 est.)
Median age: | total: 33.83 years male: 35.15 years female: 32.14 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: | -0.02% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: | 15.93 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: | 7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: | -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 15.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.65 years male: 66.07 years female: 73.31 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 100 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
Nationality: | noun: Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups: | Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (January 2000)
Religions: | Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: | Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: | definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: similar to Denmark proper

Government | Greenland

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Dependency status: | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government type: | parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Capital: | Nuuk (Godthab)
Administrative divisions: | 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland) note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland
Independence: | none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland)
National holiday: | June 21 (longest day)
Constitution: | 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system: | Danish
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Peter LAURITEEN (since NA 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002) cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 3 December 2002 (next to be held December 2006) election results: Hans ENOKSEN elected prime minister note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit
Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 3 December 2002 (next to be held by December 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 28.7%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 25.5%, Atassut Party 20.4%, Demokratiit 15.6%, Katusseqatigiit 5.3%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Inuit Ataqatigiit 8, Atassut 7, Demokratiit 5, Katusseqatigiit 1 note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1
Judicial branch: | High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen)
Political parties and leaders: | Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Augusta SALLING]; Demokratiit [Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no official platform [leader NA]; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | NC, NIB, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Flag description: | 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

Economy | Greenland

Economy - overview: | The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly-owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and minerals exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs.
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $1.1 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 1.8% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force: | 24,500 (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 10% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 1.6% (1999 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $646 million expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999)
Agriculture - products: | forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish
Industries: | fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 245 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydropower production (2001)
Electricity - consumption: | 227.9 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 3,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA
Oil - imports: | NA
Exports: | $388 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities: | fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)
Exports - partners: | Denmark 63.8%, Japan 12.6%, China 3.9% (2004)
Imports: | $445 million c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products
Imports - partners: | Denmark 78.7%, Sweden 11.9%, Norway 2.7% (2004)
Debt - external: | $25 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: | $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1997)
Currency (code): | Danish krone (DKK)
Currency code: | DKK
Exchange rates: | Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001), 8.0831 (2000)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Greenland

Telephones - main lines in use: | 26,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 16,747 (2001)
Telephone system: | general assessment: adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: | 30,000 (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: | 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997)
Televisions: | 30,000 (1998 est.)
Internet country code: | .gl
Internet hosts: | 2,642 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1 (2000)
Internet users: | 20,000 (2002)

Transportation | Greenland

Highways: | total: NA (there are no roads between towns) (2003)
Ports and harbors: | Sisimiut
Merchant marine: | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,593 GRT/3,640 DWT by type: cargo 1, passenger 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
Airports: | 14 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military | Greenland

Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Transnational Issues | Greenland

Disputes - international: | uncontested dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005