10 things to know about Greenland

May 28, 20222 min readBy Latitude Blanche

  1. Geographically, Greenland is part of North America, but politically it belongs to Denmark. It is, however, an autonomous territory.
  2. Greenland was discovered by the Vikings in the 10th century, then remained a Danish colony until 1953, when it became an integral part of Denmark. It gained home rule on May 1, 1979, expanded into self-government in 2009. Today it is a constitutional monarchy with a 31-seat unicameral parliament.
  3. Greenland played a major role in World War II. In 1941, the United States obtained permission to set up two military bases there (Thule and Ammassalik), giving the Allies better control of the North Atlantic. In 1951, the agreement was redefined and Thule became a key base for strategic nuclear bombers. Greenland then became one of the hot spots of the Cold War.
  4. The country’s coat of arms features a bear on a blue shield: the bear symbolizes the wildlife, and the blue shield the oceans that surround Greenland.
  5. Although it covers about 2 million km² (nearly four times the size of France), Greenland has a population of only 57,000, more than 90% of whom are Inuit whose ancestors came from Central Asia. 17,000 people live in the capital, Nuuk.
  6. Inuit culture is still very much alive, despite the Danish presence, which plays a large part in globalization.
  7. Greenlanders live mainly on subsidies paid by Copenhagen and on fishing. The country also has many sources of precious minerals (gold, rubies, uranium) as well as oil and gas reserves. In recent years, tourism has also grown, thanks to Greenland’s exceptional wildlife and flora.
  8. Although its name means “Green Land,” Greenland is 80% covered by ice and glaciers. The ice sheet is estimated to be between 400,000 and 800,000 years old.
  9.  There are no trees in Greenland. Its extreme climate and its soil do not allow trees to grow; there are only a few shrubs.
  10. The sun does not set between mid-June and mid-July. June 21, the longest day of the year, is a public holiday.
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