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Greenland is the world's largest island, with about 80 percent of its territory covered by a permanent ice sheet holding a significant share of the planet's freshwater. The island was originally settled by Inuit peoples, and in the 10th century Norse settlers also arrived on the southern coast under Erik the Red, though these Norse settlements had disappeared by the 15th century. Greenland has held self-government within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1979, expanded further in 2009, theoretically placing the territory on a path toward full independence should the population choose it in a referendum. The population is predominantly of Inuit descent, and the official language is Greenlandic (Kalaallisut).
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with its own government and parliament, and it is not part of the European Union.
Nuuk, the capital, is one of the world's smallest and northernmost capital cities, where modern buildings stand alongside traditional Inuit cultural institutions such as the Greenland National Museum. The Ilulissat Icefjord, where the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier continuously calves massive icebergs that drift through the fjord toward the sea, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004. Kujataa, the agricultural landscapes of southern Greenland, where traces of both Norse and Inuit farming traditions remain visible, is also on the UNESCO list. Qaqortoq, one of southern Greenland's largest towns, with its colorful houses and outdoor sculpture park, is a center of the island's cultural life.
Viewing the northern lights (aurora borealis) is popular from autumn through spring during Greenland's dark, clear nights, while in summer the island experiences the midnight sun phenomenon in areas north of the Arctic Circle. Boat tours through the fjords offer views of icebergs along with whales, including fin whales and orcas, which migrate to the nutrient-rich waters in summer. Dog sledding, the traditional Inuit mode of transport, remains a popular winter activity, particularly in northern and eastern Greenland, where the tradition continues as a living practice. Local cuisine is built around fish and marine mammal meat, with suaasat, a soup made from seal or whale meat, as a staple dish of traditional Inuit food culture.
Located on the west coast of Greenland, 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord is the sea mouth of Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. Sermeq Kujalleq is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world. It annually calves over 35 km3 of ice, i.e. 10% of the production of all Greenland calf ice and more than any other glacier outside Antarctica. Studied for over 250 years, it has helped to develop our understanding of climate change and icecap glaciology. The combination of a huge ice-sheet and the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream calving into a fjord covered by icebergs makes for a dramatic and awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.
Kujataa is a subarctic farming landscape located in the southern region of Greenland. It bears witness to the cultural histories of the Norse farmer-hunters who started arriving from Iceland in the 10th century and of the Inuit hunters and Inuit farming communities that developed from the end of the 18th century. Despite their differences, the two cultures, European Norse and Inuit, created a cultural landscape based on farming, grazing and marine mammal hunting. The landscape represents the earliest introduction of farming to the Arctic, and the Norse expansion of settlement beyond Europe.
Located inside the Arctic Circle in the central part of West Greenland, the property contains the remains of 4,200 years of human history. It is a cultural landscape which bears witness to its creators’ hunting of land and sea animals, seasonal migrations and a rich and well-preserved tangible and intangible cultural heritage linked to climate, navigation and medicine. The features of the property include large winter houses and evidence of caribou hunting, as well as archaeological sites from Paleo-Inuit and Inuit cultures. The cultural landscape includes seven key localities, from Nipisat in the west to Aasivissuit, near the ice cap in the east. It bears testimony to the resilience of the human cultures of the region and their traditions of seasonal migration.
Data: UNESCO WHC · CC BY-SA 4.0
Many people are surprised to learn that Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands are all part of the same kingdom. Together, they form the Kingdom of Denmark, a sovereign state that stretches from Northern Europe deep into the Arctic.
The capital of Greenland is Nuuk.
The area of Greenland is 2,166,086 km².
The population of Greenland is 56,836.
The currency of Greenland is krone (DKK).
The official language of Greenland: Greenlandic.
Greenland: Right-hand traffic.