from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Greenland
Introduction
Background: Greenland, the world's largest island, 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 EU) 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 72 00 N, 40 00 W
coordinates:
Map Arctic Region
references:
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 - slightly more than three times the size of Texas
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 44,087 km
Maritime territorial sea: 3 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum,
resources: uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil
and gas
Land use: arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated NA
land:
Natural continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the
hazards: island
Environment - protection of the arctic environment; preservation of
current the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling
issues: and seal hunting
Geography - dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America
note: 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: 56,361 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.5% (male 7,072/female 6,740)
15-64 years: 68.9% (male 20,904/female 17,919)
65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,768/female 1,958) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 34 years
male: 35.3 years
female: 32.3 years (2006 est.)
Population -0.03% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 15.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 14.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 69.94 years
expectancy at male: 66.36 years
birth: female: 73.6 years (2006 est.)
Total 2.4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 100 (1999)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites),
Danish and others 12% (2000)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran
Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2001 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Dependency part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas
status: administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government parliamentary democracy within a constitutional
type: monarchy
Capital: name: Nuuk (Godthab)
geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 44 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
note: Greenland is divided into four time zones
Administrative 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu
divisions: (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 June 21 (longest day)
holiday:
Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)
Legal system: Danish
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14
branch: January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren
MOLLER (since April 2005)
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 unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members
branch: are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be
held by December 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut
30.7%, Demokratiit 22.8%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.6%,
Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit 4.1%, other 0.7%;
seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 7, Atassut 6, 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 High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the
branch: Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or
Supreme Court in Copenhagen)
Political Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party
parties and favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Finn
leaders: KARLSEN]; 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; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic
party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and
greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN]
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (self-governing overseas administrative division
representation of Denmark)
in the US:
Diplomatic none (self-governing overseas administrative division
representation of Denmark)
from the US:
Flag two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with
description: a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the
top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white
Economy
Economy - The economy remains critically dependent on exports of
overview: 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 mineral exploration activities, it will
take a number of 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 $1.1 billion (2001 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1.8% (2001 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $20,000 (2001 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: NA%
composition by industry: NA%
sector: services: NA%
Labor force: 24,500 (1999 est.)
Unemployment 10% (2000 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 1.6% (1999 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $646 million
expenditures: $629 million; including capital
expenditures of $85 million (1999)
Agriculture - forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep,
products: 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 NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 242.2 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0%
note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production
from fossil fuel to hydropower production (2001)
Electricity - 225.3 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 3,850 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $480 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)
commodities:
Exports - Denmark 62.5%, Japan 12.3%, China 5.3% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $601 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods,
commodities: food, petroleum products
Imports - Denmark 66.8%, Sweden 19.3%, Ireland 3.6% (2005)
partners:
Debt - $25 million (1999)
external:
Economic aid - $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1997)
recipient:
Currency Danish krone (DKK)
(code):
Currency code: DKK
Exchange Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911
rates: (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 25,300 (2002)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 32,200 (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate domestic and international
system: 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 AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Television 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power
broadcast stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations
stations: (1997)
Televisions: 30,000 (1998 est.)
Internet .gl
country code:
Internet 8,851 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 1 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 38,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 14 (2006)
Airports - total: 9
with paved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - total: 5
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Roadways: total: NA
note: while there are short roads in towns, there are
no roads between towns; inter-town transport takes
place either by sea or air (2005)
Merchant total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,540 GRT/2,540 DWT
marine: by type: cargo 1, passenger 2
registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 1)
(2006)
Ports and Sisimiut
terminals:
Military
Manpower males age 18-49: 14,653 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 10,199 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 440 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of Denmark
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans
international: Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's
Ellesmere Island and Greenland