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 complete responsibilty for internal affairs 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.

Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N 40 00 W

Map reference: North America

Area
Total: 2,166,086 km²
Rank: 13
Land: 2,166,086 km² (410,449 km² ice-free 1,755,637 km² ice-covered)
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 44,087 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Continental shelf: 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
Extremes highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

Natural resources: coal iron ore lead zinc molybdenum diamonds gold platinum niobium tantalite 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

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

Population: 57,600 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 206
Growth rate: 0.062% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 195
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Greenlander
Adjective: Greenlandic

Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites) Danish and others 12% (2000)

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

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran

Age structure
0-14 years: 23%
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 21,696/female 18,669)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 2000/female 1975) (2009 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.5 years
Male: 34.9 years
Female: 31.9 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.062% (2009 est.)
Rank: 195

Birth rate: 14.76 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 142

Death rate: 8.14 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 106

Net migration rate: -5.99 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 168

Urbanization
Urban population: 84% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.72 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 151
Male: 12.26 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 9.1 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.07 years
Rank: 143
Male: 67.44 years
Female: 72.85 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.19 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 118

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: 100 (1999)
People living with hivaids rank: 164
Deaths: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (2001 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Greenland
Local long form: none
Local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat

Government type: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Nuuk
Geographic coordinates: 64 11 N 51 45 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 divisions: 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland) Tunu (Ostgronland) Kitaa (Vestgronland)
Note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland

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: (November 2008) Act on Greenland Self Government

Legal system: the laws of Denmark where applicable apply

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Kuupik KLEIST (since 12 June 2009)
Cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament (Landsting) 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 results: Kuupik KLEIST elected prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Landsting (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 2 June 2009 (next to be held by 2014)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Inuit Ataqatigiit 43.7% Siumut 26.5% Demokratiit 12.7% Atassut 10.9%; Kattusseqatigiit 3.8% other 2.4%; seats by party - IA 14 Siumut 9 Demokraatiit 4 Atassut 3 Kattusseqatigiit 1
Note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011); 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) [Finn KARLSEN] (a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark); Demokratiit [Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood) [Josef MOTZFELDT] (a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule); Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List) (an independent right-of-center party with no official platform); Siumut (Forward Party) [Hans ENOKSEN] (a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark)

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

Economy overview: The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and fish and on a substantial subsidy - about $700 million in 2008-09 - from the Danish Government which supplies about 60% of government revenues. The public sector including publicly-owned enterprises and the municipalities plays the dominant role in the economy. Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities are ongoing and in 2007 a US firm signed an agreement with the Greenland Home Rule government to study the feasibility of building a multi-billion dollar aluminum smelter and hydropower plant. Denmark plans to reduce its subsidies to Greenland as revenues from oil exports come onstream.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.1 billion (2001 est.)
Rank: 195

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2005 est.)
Rank: 162

Real gdp per capita: $20,000 (2001 est.)
Rank: 62

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%

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%

Labor force: 32,120 (2004)
Rank: 195

Unemployment rate: 9.3% (2005 est.)
Rank: 120

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $1.36 billion
Expenditures: $1.27 billion (2005)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (2005 est.)
Rank: 7

Exports: $480 million (2006)
Rank: 164
Commodities: fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) (2001 est.)
Partners: Denmark 63.5% Japan 11.1% China 4.9% Canada 4.8% (2008)

Imports: $712 million (2006)
Rank: 181
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods food petroleum products
Partners: Denmark 59.1% Sweden 20.9% Norway 4.7% UK 4.4% (2008)

Debt external: $25 million (1999)
Rank: 196

Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.0236 (2008 est.) 5.4797 (2007) 5.9468 (2006) 5.9969 (2005) 5.9911 (2004)

Electricity
Production: 325 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 166
Consumption: 302.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 167
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 103
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 178
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 170
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 174
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 174

Telephones
Main lines in use: 22,800 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 189
Mobile cellular: 55,800 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 191

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 - 15 (12 Intelsat 1 Eutelsat 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)

Internet
Country code: .gl
Hosts: 14,134 (2009)
Hosts rank: 111
Users: 36,000 (2008)
Users rank: 177

Airports: 15 (2009)
Rank: 146
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 6 (2009)
With unpaved runways total: 5
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2009)

Roadways
Note: although there are short roads in towns there are no roads between towns; inter-urban transport takes place either by sea or air

Merchant marine
Total: 2
Rank: 144
By type: cargo 1 passenger 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals: Sisimiut

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