Greenland

• 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 sheet after that of Antarctica

noun:

Greenlander(s)

adjective:

Greenlandic

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.26 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.15 male(s)/female

total population:

1.1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Greenland

local long form:

none

local short form:

Kalaallit Nunaat

note: named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 in order to entice settlers to the island

name:

Nuuk (Godthaab)

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 has four time zones

• previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act);
• latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) (2016)

chief of state:

Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011)

head of government:

Premier Kim KIELSEN (since 30 September 2014)

cabinet:

Home Rule Government elected by the Parliament (Landsting) on the basis of the strength of parties

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• high commissioner appointed by the monarch;
• premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term

election results:

Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 34.3%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 33.2%, Anda ULDUM (D) 11.8%, other 20.7%

highest court(s):

• High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors);
• note - appeals beyond the High Court of Greenland can be heard by the Supreme Court (in Copenhagen)

judge selection and term of office:

• judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers;
• judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts

• Democrats Party or D (Demokraatit) [Randi VESTERGAARD EVALDSEN]
• Forward Party or S (Siumut) [Kim KIELSEN]
• Inuit Community or IA (Inuit Ataqatigiit) [Sara OLSVIG]
• Inuit Party or PI (Partii Inuit) [Nikku OLSEN]
• Partii Naleraq or PN [Hans ENOKSEN]
• Solidarity Party or A (Atassut) [Siverth Karl HEILMANN]

• conservationists;
• environmentalists;
• independence activists

• none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark): note - Greenland has an office in the Danish Embassy to the US;
• it also has offices in the Danish consulates of Chicago and New York

• 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

name:

"Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit" ("Our Country, Who's Become So Old" also translated as "You Our Ancient Land")

lyrics/music:

Henrik LUND/Jonathan PETERSEN

note: adopted 1916; the government also recognizes "Nuna asiilasooq" as a secondary anthem

• fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut);
• gold, zinc, anorthosite and ruby mining;
• handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

agriculture:

15.9%

industry:

10.1%

services:

73.9% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables, and microwave radio relay; totally digital since 1995

domestic:

• microwave radio relay and satellite;
• the fundamental telecommunications infrastructure consists of a digital radio link from Nanortalik in south Greenland to Uummannaq in north Greenland;
• satellites cover north and east Greenland for domestic and foreign telecommunications;
• a marine cable connects south and west Greenland to the rest of the world, extending from Nuuk and Qaqortoq to Canada and Iceland

international:

country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2015)

• 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 (2015)

• no regular military forces or conscription;
• the Government of Denmark has responsibility for defense;
• as such the Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk is responsible for territorial defense of Greenland (2016)

• 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