Map of Greenland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark however continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs security and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.


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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 reference

Area
Rank: 12
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 44,087 km

Maritime claims

Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers cold winters

Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow mountainous barren rocky coast

Elevation

Natural resources: coal iron ore lead zinc molybdenum diamonds gold platinum niobium tantalite uranium fish seals whales hydropower possible oil and gas

Land use

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

Geography
Note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap


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Population: 57,695 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 205
Growth rate: 0.038% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 185
Below poverty line: 9.2% (2007 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Inuit 89% Danish and other 11% (2009)

Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit) (official) Danish (official) English

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran traditional Inuit spiritual beliefs

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.038% (2012 est.)
Rank: 185

Birth rate: 14.58 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 136

Death rate: 8.22 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 90

Net migration rate: -5.98 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 197

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life including whaling and seal hunting

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 146

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 141

Total fertility rate: 2.11 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 115

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: 100 (1999)
People living with hivaids rank: 162
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Capital

Administrative divisions: 4 municipalities (kommuner singular kommune); Kujalleq Qaasuitsup Qeqqata Sermersooq

Dependent areas

Independence: none (extensive self-rule as 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: (June 2009) Act on Greenland Self Government

Legal system: the laws of Denmark where applicable apply

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (Landsting) (31 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

Judicial branch: High Court or Eggartuussisuuneqarfia (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: Candidate List (Kattusseqatigiit) [Anthon FREDERIKSEN]; Democratic Party (Demokraatit) [Jens B. FREDERIKSEN]; Forward Party (Siumut) [Aleqa HAMMOND]; Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Kuupik KLEIST]; Solidarity Party (Atassut) [Gerhardt PETERSEN]

International organization participation: Arctic Council NC NIB UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
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; the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as those of the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark

National symbols: polar bear

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and fish income from resource exploration and extraction and on a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government. The subsidy is budgeted to be about $650 million in 2012 approximately 56% of government revenues in 2012 for the year. The public sector including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities plays the dominant role in Greenland's economy. Greenland's real GDP contracted about 1% in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown but is estimated to have grown 2% in 2010 and 3% in 2011. The relative ease with which Greenland has weathered the economic crisis is due to increased hydrocarbon and mineral exploration and extraction activities a high level of construction activity in the Nuuk area and the increasing price of fish and shrimp. During the last decade the Greenland Home Rule Government (GHRG) pursued conservative fiscal and monetary policies but public pressure has increased for better schools health care and retirement systems. The Greenlandic economy has benefited from increasing catches and exports of shrimp Greenland halibut and more recently crabs. Due to Greenland's continued dependence on exports of fish - which accounted for 89% of exports in 2010 - the economy remains very sensitive to foreign developments. International consortia are increasingly active in exploring for hydrocarbon resources off Greenland's western coast and international studies indicate the potential for oil and gas fields in northern and northeastern Greenland. In May 2007 a US aluminum producer concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Greenland Home Rule Government to build an aluminum smelter and a power generation facility which takes advantage of Greenland's abundant hydropower potential. Within the area of mining olivine sand continues to be produced and gold production has resumed in south Greenland while rare-earth and iron ore mineral projects have been proposed or planned elsewhere on the island. Tourism also offers another avenue of economic growth for Greenland with increasing numbers of cruise lines now operating in Greenland's western and southern waters during the peak summer tourism season.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 192

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 111

Real gdp per capita: $36,600 (2007 est.)
Rank: 31

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: forage crops garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep reindeer; fish

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 33,670 (2010)
Rank: 204

Unemployment rate: 4.2% (2010 est.)
Rank: 48

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 9.2% (2007 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: 1.9% of GDP (2010)
Surplus or deficit rank: 23

Taxes and other revenues: 79.6% of GDP (2010)
Rank: 3

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.7% (2010 est.)
Rank: 64

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $358 million (2009)
Rank: 176
Commodities: fish and fish products 89% metals 10% (2008)
Partners: Denmark 63.3% Japan 12% China 6.4% (2011)

Imports: $726 million (2009)
Rank: 181
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods food petroleum products
Partners: Denmark 58.1% Sweden 19.7% UK 10.3% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $58 million (2009)
Rank: 194

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 276.6 million kWh (2010 est.)
Production rank: 176
Consumption: 239.4 million kWh (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 182
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 202
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 194
Installed generating capacity: 137,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 164
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 17
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 98
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 174
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 134

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 141
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 120
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 192
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 139

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 153
Products consumption: 3,897 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 177
Products exports: 1034 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 110
Products imports: 5,376 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 152

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 137
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 150
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 206
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 202
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 144

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 555,600 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 178

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 19,900 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 190
Mobile cellular: 58,700 (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 199

Telephone system

Broadcast media: the Greenland Broadcasting Company provides public radio and TV services throughout the island with a broadcast station and a series of repeaters; a few private local TV and radio stations; Danish public radio rebroadcasts are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gl
Hosts: 15,645 (2012)
Hosts rank: 123
Users: 36,000 (2009)
Users rank: 179

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 15 (2012)
Rank: 147

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 156

Ports and terminals: Sisimiut


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Disputes international: managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland; Denmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs