Greenland

§1. 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.

§2. Greenland 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 km²
  land: 2,166,086 km² (410,449 km² ice-free, 1,755,637 km² 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% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  NA

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

§3. Greenland 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 growth rate:
  -0.03% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  15.93 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  7.84 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.9 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 15.4 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 16.73 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 14.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 69.94 years
  male: 66.36 years
  female: 73.6 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  2.4 children born/woman (2006 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%
  (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.)

§4. Greenland 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 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 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 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 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) [Finn 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
  [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:
  Arctic Council, 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

§5. Greenland 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 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 (purchasing power parity):
  $1.1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  NA

GDP - real growth rate:
  1.8% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $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:
  242.2 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  225.3 million kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  3,850 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  0 m³ (2003 est.)

Exports:
  $480 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
  fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)

Exports - partners:
  Denmark 63.7%, Japan 12.6%, China 3.9% (2004)

Imports:
  $601 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
  Denmark 78.4%, 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)

Exchange rates:
  Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003),
  7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Greenland Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  25,300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  19,900 (2002)

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:
  8,775 (2005)

Internet users:
  38,000 (2005)

§7. Greenland Transportation

Airports:
  14 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 9
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 5 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 5
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 2
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

Merchant marine:
  total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,236 GRT/400 DWT
  by type: passenger 2
  registered in other countries: 2 (Cyprus 1, Denmark 1) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Sisimiut

§8. Greenland Military

Military - note:
  defense is the responsibility of Denmark

§9. Greenland Transnational Issues

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


<Factbook 2006>
