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The World Factbook 2002
| Greenland |

Introduction | Greenland

Background: | The world's largest non-continental 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.

Geography | Greenland

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: 2,166,086 sq km land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (est.)
Area - comparative: | slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: | 0 km
Coastline: | 44,087 km
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% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | NA sq km
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 | Greenland

Population: | 56,376 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 7,561; female 7,284) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 20,880; female 17,489) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 1,442; female 1,720) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.03% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: | 16.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: | 7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: | -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | 17.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 68.69 years female: 72.32 years (2002 est.) male: 65.13 years
Total fertility rate: | 2.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 100 (1999)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA
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

Government | Greenland

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat local long form: none
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: | Nuuk (Godthab)
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)
Legal system: | Danish
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)
note: government coalition - Siumut and Atasuut Party
election results: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - 57.3%
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 monarchy 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)

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)
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 20 November 2001 (next to be held no later than November 2005); percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1
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
elections: last held on 16 February 1999 (next to be held by NA February 2003)

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) [Hans ENOKSEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | 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 | Greenland

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 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | NA%
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2001 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: | 10% (2000 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $646 million expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999)
Industries: | fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut), handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards, mining
Industrial production growth rate: | NA%
Electricity - production: | 250 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydroelectric power production (2000) hydro: 0% other: 0% nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 232.5 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: | forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish
Exports: | $264 million (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities: | fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%)
Exports - partners: | EU (mainly Denmark) 85%, Japan 8%, US 2% (1999)
Imports: | $349 million (c.i.f., 2000)
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)
Currency code: | DKK
Exchange rates: | Danish kroner per US dollar - 8.418 (January 2002), 8.323 (2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Greenland

Telephones - main lines in use: | 25,617 (yearend 1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 12,676 (yearend 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: | 17,800 (2001)

Transportation | Greenland

Railways: | 0 km
Highways: | total: 150 km paved: 60 km unpaved: 90 km
Waterways: | none
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, includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: | 15 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 9 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: 5 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2001)

Military | Greenland

Military - note: | defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Transnational Issues | Greenland

Disputes - international: | none

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002