Greenland

parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Greenland as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 112 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNuuk (Godthab), UTC-3

Position72 00 N, 40 00 W

Area2,166,086 sq km

LocationNorthern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

Populationas each edition published it

56,344 people July 2007 est. · 56,078 in 1990

Population growth% a year

-0.03% 2007 est. · 0.84% in 1993

Median ageyears

34.1 years 2007 est. · 33.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

70.23 years 2007 est. · 66.19 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.4 children per woman 2007 est. · 2.2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

14.98 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 28 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$20,000 2001 est. · $9,000 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2% 2005 est. · -10% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

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. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.

Geography

Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

17 fields

Land useshare of 2,166,086 sq km

permanent crops 0%other 100% (2005)arable land 0% in all

Area

2,166,086sq km

land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Coastline

44,087km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 3 nmexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median linecontinental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Highest point

3,700m

Gunnbjornlowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

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

Climate

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Irrigated land

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

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

1,873

65 and over6.9%

2,035

20,901

15-6469.1%

18,012

6,926

0-1424%

6,597

MaleFemale

Population

56,344

(July 2007 est.)growth rate: -0.03% (2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth

16.01Death

7.93Net migration

-8.38

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)70.23

66.65 · 73.9Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)14.98

16.32 · 13.61

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2001 est.)100%

100% · 100%Median age years (2007 est.)34.1

35.4 · 32.3

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.16 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population:: 1.115 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.4 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

100 (1999)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Nationality

noun:: Greenlander(s)
adjective:: Greenlandic

Ethnic groups

Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (2000)

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran

Languages

Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English

Government

Parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy; Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005); Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002)

19 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

30.7%

Siumut 30.7%Demokratiit 22.8%IA 22.6%Atassut Party 19.1%Katusseqatigiit 4.1%other 0.7%last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by December 2009)

Parliament or Landstinget, 31 seats, elected 15 November 2005one dot, one seat

Siumut 10Demokratiit 7IA 7Atassut 6Katusseqatigiit 1

Percent of vote

Siumut 30.7%Demokratiit 22.8%IA 22.6%Atassut Party 19.1%Katusseqatigiit 4.1%other 0.7%

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

Capital

name:: Nuuk (Godthab)
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

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

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 (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005)
head of government:: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002)
cabinet:: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament (Landstinget) 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:: Hans ENOKSEN reelected prime minister

note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit

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 15 November 2005 (next to be held by December 2009)
election results:: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%, Demokratiit 22.8%, IA 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%;
Katusseqatigiit 4.1%, other 0.7%;
seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, IA 7, Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1

note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 8 February 2005 (next to be held in February 2009); 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)

Political pressure groups and leaders

International organization participation

Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU

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

The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues.

37 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$1.1billion

(2001 est.)official exchange rate: $1.7 billion (2005)

GDP per capita, PPP

$20,000

(2001 est.)

Real growth rate

(2005 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

(2005 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

67.8%

Denmark

69.9%

Sweden

16.3%

11.9%

Japan

5.5%

China

Norway

3.7%

Exports $404 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)Imports $599 million c.i.f. (2005 est.)(2006)

Budget

Revenues

$1.36 billionExpenditures

$1.27 billion (2005)

Electricity

Electricity production

300 million (2005)Electricity consumption

279 million (2005)

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.

Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities are ongoing. Press reports in early 2007 indicated that two international aluminum companies were considering building smelters in Greenland to take advantage of local hydropower potential. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs.

Air Greenland announced plans to begin summer-season direct flights to the U.S. east coast in May 2007 potentially opening a major new tourism market.

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture:: NA%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA%

Labor force

32,120 (2004)

Unemployment rate

9.3% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption

3,860 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Exports

$404 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)

Imports

$599 million c.i.f. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products

Economic aid - recipient

$512 million; note - subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Debt - external

$25 million (1999)

Currency (code)

Danish krone (DKK)

Exchange rates

Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

32,200

(2004)

Internet users

15,329

(2007)

Fixed lines

25,300

(2002) · country code .gl

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