Greenland is the world’s largest and most northerly island. Home to just under 57,000 people, it is also the world's least densely populated territory. Most of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle, and has an extremely harsh, cold climate. Temperatures hardly ever rise above 10°C (50° F), even in summer. A thick ice sheet covers more than 80% of the island all year round. In some places, the ice is up to 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) deep. The windswept interior is almost entirely empty. Greenland's coast is rugged, fringed by huge mountain ranges, partially buried by ice. In some places, glaciers slide off them and crash into the ocean. Greenland was once a province of Denmark; today it is an autonomous (self-governing) Danish territory. It has had its own parliament since 1979. Greenlanders call their land Kalaallit Nunaat, the "Land of the Kalaallit". The Kalaallit are the Inuit people who inhabit Greenland's western region.

People

About 90% of the population lives along Greenland’s southwest coast. This region has a milder, warmer climate and is free of ice. There are no roads between the major towns however. People travel short distances by dog sled or snowmobile, while longer trips are made by air or by sea.

Greenland’s Inuit are the descendants of the Thule people, who settled on the island 800 years ago. Most Greenlanders are either Inuit or have a mixture of Inuit and Danish ancestry. The largest ethnic group are the Western Inuit, whose language, Kalaallisut, is the official form of Greenlandic spoken by almost all the population. Inuit groups living in the north and east speak slightly different forms of the language. Many people also speak Danish. Young people often finish their education by going to university in Denmark.

Fishing

Denmark provides about two-thirds of Greenland’s income, while nearly all the rest comes from the fishing industry. Fishing is hugely important in Greenland—whole coastal villages are active in fishing and nothing else. Shrimp, halibut, cod and crabs caught off Greenland’s shores are by far the country’s biggest export. Most of the catch is processed in Greenland in small factories. It is then frozen, packed in cans or salted ready to be exported to Denmark and Sweden.

Hunting and whaling

A small number of Greenlanders still hunt seals, whales and seabirds as their ancestors have done for centuries. Seals are hunted for their meat—an important part of the Greenlandic diet—and for their warm fur, which is used to make clothes. There are strict laws about who can hunt whales, to make sure whale populations are not threatened.

Melting ice

Scientists are carefully watching Greenland’s ice sheet as they monitor the effects of global warming. A survey between 1991 and 2004 showed an average winter temperature rise in Greenland of almost 6°C (11°F). As the world gets warmer, the ice sheet is melting at an ever-increasing rate, threatening to raise sea levels and disrupt ocean currents. 
​​​​​​​

As the ice melts, it is also revealing something else: access to huge reserves of minerals, oil, gas and gold that were previously hard to reach. A 25-year ban on mining some of these was lifted in 2013, allowing mining to begin in some areas. If mining does go ahead, Greenland’s economy could be boosted, but the damage to the environment and the Inuit way of life could be far-reaching.

Facts about Greenland

Population 56,583

Area 2,166,086 sq km

Highest point Gunnbjorn Fjeld 3700 m (12,139 ft)

Capital Nuuk, population 20,113

Other major cities Sisimiut (pop. 5598), Ilulissat (4541)

Languages Greenlandic, Danish

Religions Christian (Lutheran), traditional beliefs

Ethnicity Inuit 89%, Danish and others 11%

Currency Danish krone (DKK)

Chief exports fish and shrimp, metals