Greenland
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| Official languages | Greenlandic, Danish | ||
| Capital | Nuuk (Godthåb) | ||
| Monarch | Margrethe II | ||
| Prime Minister | Kim Kielsen | ||
| Area - Total - % water |
Ranked 13th 2,166,086 km² 81.1% |
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| Population - 2005 est. - Density |
Ranked 210th 56,375 0.026/km² |
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| Political Status | Autonomous province of the Kingdom of Denmark. Home rule was established in 1979. | ||
| Currency | Danish krone | ||
| Time zone | UTC 0 to -4 | ||
| National anthem | Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit Nuna asiilasooq |
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| Internet TLD | .gl | ||
| Calling code | 299 | ||
Greenland is a large Arctic island. It has a population of only 50,000 residents, because of its cold climate. Most of the civilian population lives in the southern part of the island, on the coasts. The capital of Greenland is Nuuk. Greenland is the world's largest island[1][2][3] that is not a continent.[4][5] The island is the least densely populated country in the world, with a density of 0.26 people per square kilometer.[6][7][8] (Antarctica and uninhabited islands are not counted because they are not independent countries.)
Since the 1950s, scientists think that the ice sheet that covers Greenland may hide three separate islands, which are joined by glaciers since the last geologic ice age.[9][10][11][12]
In Greenland, there are no forests. In the south, at the coastal area, only some dwarf trees are found.[13]
Contents
History[change | change source]
Greenland is a Danish-occupied territory of Denmark, but Greenland is not a member of the European Union. It is part of the North American continent, and Greenland is the largest island in the world, excluding Australia and Antarctica, which are continents. The prime minister of Greenland is Aleqa Hammond.
Population[change | change source]
The island is populated mostly by Inuit and Scandinavians who speak Greenlandic, an Inuit language. Danish is also spoken by most people. The national anthem of Greenland is Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit.
Administrative divisions[change | change source]
Until 2009, there were 20 communes in Greenland. Unless stated otherwise, they are in the district Kitaa:
- Nanortalik
- Qaqortoq
- Narsaq
- Ivittuut
- Paamiut
- Nuuk
- Maniitsoq
- Sisimiut
- Kangaatsiaq
- Aasiaat
- Qasigiannguit
- Ilulissat
- Qeqertarsuaq
- Uummannaq
- Upernavik
- Ammassalik (District Tunu)
- Ittoqqortoormiit (District Tunu)
- Qaanaaq (District Avannaa).
This changed on January 1st, 2009, when these were merged into four large communes:
- Kommune Kujalleq (7.755 inhabitants)
- Qaasuitsup Kommunia (17.867)
- Qeqqata Kommunia (9.627) und
- Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq (20.998).
In addition, some parts of Greenland are outside a commune, namely:
As of January 1st, 2008, 218 people lived there.[14]
Landscape[change | change source]
The island has many mountains. All of the cities are on the coast, because everywhere else is covered by a big layer of ice.[15] The major cities are Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, and Qaqortoq.
Related pages[change | change source]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Greenland from Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World: Locations". credoreference.com. 2011 [last update]. http://www.credoreference.com/entry/contpmwl/greenland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ↑ "Greenland from McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology". credoreference.com. 2011 [last update]. http://www.credoreference.com/entry/conscitech/greenland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ↑ "Greenland from The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Geography". credoreference.com. 2011 [last update]. http://www.credoreference.com/entry/hmgeog/greenland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ↑ Joshua Calder's World Island Info
- ↑ CIA World Factbook
- ↑ "The 2008 Revision Population Database". Esa.un.org. 2009-03-11. http://esa.un.org/unpp/. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
- ↑ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division. "World Population Prospects, Table A.1" (.PDF). 2008 revision. United Nations. Retrieved on 12 March 2009.
- ↑ World POPClock Projection at 18:42, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
- ↑ New York Times The Warming of Greenland
- ↑ Ellensburg Daily Record (Google News) Greenland Icecap bridges three islands
- ↑ Los Angeles Times "Greenland's Ice Sheet is slip-sliding away"
- ↑ From the map of the bedrock: if, as the ice melted, the sea rose 50 metres, then Greenland would definitely be three islands.
- ↑ "Greenland - Credo Reference Topic". credoreference.com. 2011 [last update]. http://www.credoreference.com/topic/greenland. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ↑ KANUKOKA
- ↑ Barringer, Felicity. "Scientists Want Publisher to Refreeze Greenland," New York Times. September 24, 2011.
Other websites[change | change source]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Greenland |
- CIA World Factbook information about Greenland
- Greenland Homerule - Official site
- Images of Greenland
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