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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
The world's largest island,
about 84% ice-capped, Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by
the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year.
Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs. |
| 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: 2,175,600
sq km
land: 2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq
km ice-covered) (est.) |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more than three
times the size of Texas |
| Maritime
claims: |
continental shelf:
200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or
median line
territorial sea: 3 NM |
| 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: |
zinc, lead, iron ore, coal,
molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower,
possible oil and gas |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 99% (1998 est.) |
| 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 |
| Population: |
56,352 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
26.69% (male 7,649; female 7,392)
15-64 years: 67.87% (male 20,868; female 17,376)
65 years and over: 5.44% (male 1,385; female 1,682) (2001
est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.06% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.52 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.58 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-8.38 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.02
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
17.77 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
68.37 years
male: 64.82 years
female: 72.01 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.44 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
100 (1999) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Greenlander 88% (Inuit and
Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (January 2000) |
| Religions: |
Evangelical Lutheran |
| Languages: |
Greenlandic (East Inuit),
Danish, English |
| Literacy: |
definition: NA
total population: NA%
male: NA%
female: NA%
note: similar to Denmark proper |
| 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 |
| 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; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark
since 1979)
note: 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) |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of state:
Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by
High Commissioner Gunnar MARTENS (since NA 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Jonathan MOTZFELDT
(since 19 September 1997)
cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament
(Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner
appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by Parliament
(usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 16
February 1999 (next to be held NA February 2003)
election results: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime
minister following the 16 February 1999 elections; percent of
parliamentary vote - 57.3%
note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit
(IA) |
| 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 16 February 1999 (next to be held
by NA February 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.2%,
Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.1%, Atassut Party 25.2%, Candidate's League 12.3%,
independent 5.2%; seats by party - Siumut 11, Atassut 8, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 7, Candidate List 4, independent 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish
Parliament or Folketing on 11 March 1998 (next to be held by not later
than March 2002); percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.6%, Atassut
35.2%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Atassut 1; Greenlandic representatives
are affiliated with Danish political parties (Siamut with Social
Democratic Party and Atassut with Liberal Party) |
| 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: |
Akulliit Party [Bjarne
KREUTZMANN]; Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring
continuing close relations with Denmark) [Daniel SKIFTE]; 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)
[Jonathan MOTZFELDT] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ICC, NC, NIB |
| 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 |
| 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 minerals exploration activities, it will
take several 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 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
NA% |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$20,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% |
| 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.) |
| Labor
force: |
24,500 (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
7% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $646
million
expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures
of $85 million (1999) |
| Industries: |
fish processing (mainly
shrimp and Greenland halibut), handicrafts, furs, small shipyards |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
250 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 41%
hydro: 59%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0%
note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from
fossil fuel to hydroelectric power production (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
232.5 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
forage crops, garden and
greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish |
| Exports: |
$276 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
fish and fish products 94% |
| Exports
- partners: |
EU (mainly Denmark) 85%,
Japan 8%, US 2% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$400 million (c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and transport
equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products |
| Imports
- partners: |
EU (mostly Denmark), Norway,
US, Canada |
| Debt
- external: |
$25 million (1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$380 million subsidy from
Denmark (1999) |
| Currency: |
Danish krone (DKK) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Danish kroner per US dollar -
7.951 (January 2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604
(1997), 5.799 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
25,617 (end 1999) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
12,676 (end 1999) |
| 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: satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1
Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0
(1998) |
| Radios: |
30,000 (1998 est.) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 publicly-owned station,
some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations
(1997) |
| Televisions: |
30,000 (1998 est.) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gl |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
1 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
4,008 (1999) |
| Highways: |
total: 150 km
paved: 60 km
unpaved: 90 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Aasiaat (Egedesminde),
Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab),
Qaqortoq (Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001) |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 2 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,289 GRT/1,500 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
- note: |
defense is the responsibility
of Denmark |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
