Introduction

 
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

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

 

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

 

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)

 

Economy

 

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 - 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 65.2%, Japan 12.2%, China 5.1% (2004)

 

Imports: $445 million c.i.f. (2002)

 

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products

 

Imports - partners: Denmark 85.8%, Sweden 3.6%, Norway 3.1% (2004)

 

Debt - external: $25 million (1999)

 

Economic aid - recipient: $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1997)

 

Currency (code): Danish krone (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

 

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)

 

Television broadcast stations: 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997)

 

Internet country code: .gl

 

Internet hosts: 2,642 (2004)

 

Internet users: 20,000 (2002)

 

Transportation

 

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.)

 

Transnational Issues

 

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