People & Environment
Kalaallit Nunaat or Greenland, home to the Greenlandic Inuit, is primarily concentrated along the southwest coast, with the rest of the island thinly populated. Descended from the Thule people, the Inuit are divided into three main groups: the Kalaallit in the west, the Tunumiit in the east, and the Inughuit in the north.
Kalallisut, the official language, is spoken alongside Danish, reflecting Greenland's ties to Denmark. The culture is deeply influenced by Inuit traditions, with many Greenlanders continuing to engage in traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and dog-sled racing.
Traditional tools like the qajaq (sea kayak), ulo (curved knife) and dogsled are still used, while soapstone carving and drum dancing remain popular cultural practices.
Colorful Houses
The distinctive colorful wooden houses are a unique feature of Greenland.
The colors used to serve a greated purpose when there were no street names and house numbers. Then all buildings were one of five base colors: red, black, yellow, green and blue. Each color indicating a special meaning:
- Red: commercial houses, churches, government buildings.
- Yellow: hospitals, health services, doctors etc.
- Black: police station.
- Green: power works, auto mechanics, teleoperations etc.
- Blue: fish factories.
Today owners of the houses are free to paint their abode in any color they choose. Although hospitals continue to be yellow and churches red.
Greenland
Despite its name, Greenland is mostly covered in ice, with only a small southern portion being green. Erik the Red (who was previously exiled from Iceland) named the land in hopes of attracting more people and building a community around the year 1000.
Since 1979 Greenland has self-governing within the Kingdom of Denmark, with a self-government referendum approved in 2008. Greenland's autonomy excludes foreign, security, and currency policies. The capital is Nuuk. The government is called Naalakkersuisut and the 31 seat parliament Inatsisartut.
Greenland has representation in Copenhagen, Brussels, Reykjavík, Peking and Washington, D.C.
The Coat of Arms was adopted in 1989 and features a blue shield with white polar bear.
The island's national day is celebrated on 21 June, coinciding with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The flag was adopted on the national day in 1985.
Geography
Greenland is about 2,17M km2 (20 times the size of Iceland). Inland ice and glaciers cover about 1,76M km2. Two-thirds of the country lies above the Arctic Circle, experiencing a frigid climate year-round. The island's unfrozen areas are characterized by tundra landscapes, with permafrost lying beneath much of the surface. The coastline, mostly rocky, stretches for approximately 39,330 kilometers (24,430 miles), making it one of the longest coastlines globally. Highest point is Gunnbjørn's Fjeld 3,693 m.
Approximately half of Greenland's landmass is designated as the National Park of Greenland, being both the island's sole national park and the largest national park in the world. At 0,97M km2 (0,37M mi2), the park covers most of the NE section of the island.
Many marine mammals live in the seas around the island, including seals, walruses, and whales. Polar bears, arctic foxes, wolves, reindeer, and musk oxen can be found roaming the island's ice sheets. The coastal area also attracts some 230 bird species, including sea eagles, that feed on saltwater fish like salmon, flounder, and halibut.
Resources
Greenland's mining history dates back to the late 1700s when coal extraction began in Qaarsut on the Nuussauq Peninsula. Over the years, knowledge about Greenland's resources has increased and mining activities have expanded. Geologists have identified significant deposits of various minerals many of which are beneath the islands ice sheet. The vast mineral resources, including critical rare-earth metals, are of Global importance and significance and will likely become essential for the Global Green Transition.
Leading mineral resources encompass copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, precious stones, iron ore and zinc and rare-earth metals like graphite, niobium, platinum group metals, molybdenum, tantalum, and titanium, highlighting the island's significant role in supporting sustainable development initiatives in a Global context. One notable deposit near the southern town of Narsaq is estimated to contain as much as12M tons of valuable rare-earth metals, positioning it as one of the largest rare-earth deposits globally.
The Government of Greenland views mining as a pivotal industry for economic diversification and reducing dependency on Denmark.
See also our map of Arctic Definitions
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