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Introduction
to Greenland
For the majority of people, Greenland is only a huge expanse of
ice, snow and cold that sits somewhere beyond the distant northern
horizon. Generally little more is known, except, of course, for the
apparent irony of its name - Greenland.
In the judgement of Erik the Red, "men would be ready to go thither
if the land had a good name".
GEOGRAPHY: Greenland, the world's largest island, lies northeast of
the Canadian Arctic and two thirds within the Arctic circle. The island
is about 2656 km (1650 miles) long and 1207 km (750 miles) across.
Its northernmost point, is some 716 km (445 miles) from the North
Pole. The enormous Greenland ice cap covers approximately 85% of the
land mass with a maximum thickness of 335 metres (11,000 feet) . Only
the ice cap of Antarctica is larger. Much of Greenland is ringed by
moutains that confine the ice cap to the island's interior. The coastline
is heavily indented by fjords, leading to iceberg calving glaciers.
CLIMATE: Greenland's climate differs greatly between the coast and
the interior. The temperatures, depending on the season, can average
from 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) in July to -47 degrees C (-53 degrees
F) in January.
PEOPLE: The vast majority of the inhabitants of Greenland are Greenlanders,
a mixture of Inuit (Eskimo) and European immigrants, primary from
Denmark. Greenland is recognized as an autonomous nation residing
under the Danish Kingdom. Some isolated traditional communities of
pure Inuit can still be found, primarily in the north and east.
ECONOMY: The only significant exports are processed and fresh fish,
cod liver, and shark liver oils and minerals. For many Greenlanders,
fishing and hunting continue to provide a livelihood today as it did
for generations before them.
WILDLIFE: Greenland is also home to a diversity of wildlife: polar
bear, walrus, narwhales, Arctic fox, many species of seal, and whales.
Musk ox are found in large numbers in the north and east, while the
wild reindeer is still found in the west. The Arctic wolf makes its
home in the north and east, while populations of Arctic and blue foxes
are generally widespread.
TRANSPORTATION: Greenland has no network of roads or railways for
land transport. Travel is by sea, air or dog sled.
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