Greenland
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Greenland as the 2015 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 134 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 became an integral part of the Danish Realm 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.
Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland, including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
Geography
Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
17 fieldsLand useshare of 2,166,086 sq km
Location
Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
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;
- close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk;
- world's second largest ice cap
People and Society
24 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2015 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2015 est.)
Male · female(2015 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 0-14 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-24 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 25-54 years:
- 1.11 male(s)/female
- 55-64 years:
- 1.29 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.15 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.1 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy; Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011); Prime Minister Kim KIELSEN (since 30 September 2014)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 31 seats, elected 28 November 2014one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Country name
- 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 985 in order to entice settlers to the island
Dependency status
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
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 has four time zones
Administrative divisions
4 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Kujalleq, Qaasuitsup, Qeqqata, Sermersooq
note: the North and East Greenland National Park (Avannaarsuani Tunumilu Nuna Allanngutsaaliugaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas;
the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - make it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly
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)
Constitution
- previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act);
- latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) (2015)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister 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;
- prime minister indirectly elected by Parliament
- election results:
- Kim KIELSEN elected prime minister; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 34.3%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 33.2%, Anda ULDUM (D) 11.8%, other 20.7%
Legislative branch
- description:
- unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (Landsting) (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 15 September 2011 (next to be held by September 2015); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1,
Inuit Ataqatigiit 1
- elections:
- last held on 28 November 2014 (next to be held by 2018)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - S 34.6%, IA 33.5%, D 11.9%, PN 11.7%, A 6.6%, other 1.7%; seats by party - S 11, IA 11, D 4, PN 3, A 2 (2013)
Judicial branch
- 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
Political parties and leaders
- Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D [Jens B. FREDERIKSEN]
- Forward Party (Siumut) or S [Aleqa HAMMOND]
- Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Kuupik KLEIST]
- Inuit Party (Partii Inuit) or PI [Nikku OLSEN]
- Partii Naleraq or PN [Hans ENOKSEN]
- Solidarity Party (Atassut) or A [Gerhardt PETERSEN]
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;
- 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
National anthem
- 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
Economy
The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and fish, income from resource exploration and extraction, and on a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government.
27 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2012 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Economy - overview
The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and fish, income from resource exploration and extraction, and on a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government. The subsidy was budgeted to be about $651 million in 2012, approximately 56% of government revenues that year.
The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in Greenland's economy. Greenland's real GDP contracted about 1% in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown, but is estimated to have grown marginally in 2010-14.
During the last decade the Greenland Home Rule Government (GHRG) pursued conservative fiscal and monetary policies, but public pressure has increased for better schools, health care and retirement systems.
The Greenlandic economy has benefited from increasing catches and exports of shrimp, Greenland halibut and, more recently, crabs. Due to Greenland's continued dependence on exports of fish - which accounted for 89% of exports in 2010 - the economy remains very sensitive to external demand.
The relative ease with which Greenland has weathered the economic crisis is due to increased hydrocarbon and mineral exploration and extraction activities, a high level of construction activity in the Nuuk area and the increasing price of fish and shrimp. International consortia are increasingly active in exploring for hydrocarbon resources off Greenland's western coast, and international studies indicate the potential for oil and gas fields in northern and northeastern Greenland.
In May 2007, a US aluminum producer concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Greenland Home Rule Government to build an aluminum smelter and a power generation facility, which takes advantage of Greenland's abundant hydropower potential. Within the area of mining, olivine sand continues to be produced and gold production has resumed in south Greenland, while rare-earth and iron ore mineral projects have been proposed or planned elsewhere on the island.
Tourism also offers another avenue of economic growth for Greenland, with increasing numbers of cruise lines now operating in Greenland's western and southern waters during the peak summer tourism season.
Industries
- fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut);
- gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining;
- handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products
Exchange rates
Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.6125 (2011) · 5.3687 (2011) · 5.79 (2012 est.) · 5.3687 (2011 est.) · 5.6241 (2010 est.)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 106,000 kW(2012 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
604,900 Mt (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 177
Communications
8 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2014 est.)
Telephone system
- 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
- international:
- country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)
Broadcast media
- 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 (2007)
Television broadcast stations
1 (plus some local low-power stations, and 3 American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) stations (1997)
Transportation
6 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Roadways
note: although there are short roads in towns, there are no roads between towns; inter-urban transport is either by sea or by air (2012)
Merchant marine
registered in other countries: 1 (Denmark 1) (2010) country comparison to the world: 156
Military
No regular military forces
5 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
- 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Greenland.” The World Factbook 2015. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/greenland/2015.