Greenland

Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

72 00 N, 40 00 W

Arctic Region

2,166,086 sq km

2,166,086 sq km (approximately 1,710,000 sq km ice-covered)

Slightly more than three times the size of Texas

0 km

44,087 km

3 nm

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Gunnbjorn Fjeld 3,694 m

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

1,792 m

Coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

0.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.)

0% (2023 est.)

99.4% (2023 est.)

NA

Settlement concentrated on the southwest shoreline, with limited settlements scattered along the remaining coast; interior is uninhabited

Continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

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 sheet after that of Antarctica, covering an area of 1.71 million sq km (660,000 sq mi), or about 79% of the island, and containing 2.85 million cu km (684 thousand cu mi) of ice (almost 7% of the world's fresh water)

57,751 (2024 est.)

29,843

27,908

Greenlander(s)

Greenlandic

Greenlandic 88.1%, Danish 7.1%, Filipino 1.6%, other Nordic peoples 0.9%, and other 2.3% (2024 est.)

Greenlandic, Danish, English

Evangelical Lutheran, traditional Inuit spiritual beliefs

20.4% (male 5,964/female 5,798)

67.1% (male 20,050/female 18,711)

12.5% (2024 est.) (male 3,829/female 3,399)

49 (2024 est.)

30.3 (2024 est.)

18.6 (2024 est.)

5.4 (2024 est.)

35.6 years (2025 est.)

35.9 years

34.7 years

-0.08% (2025 est.)

13.32 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.29 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Settlement concentrated on the southwest shoreline, with limited settlements scattered along the remaining coast; interior is uninhabited

87.9% of total population (2023)

0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

18,000 NUUK (capital) (2018)

1.05 male(s)/female

1.03 male(s)/female

1.07 male(s)/female

1.13 male(s)/female

1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

8.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

9.9 deaths/1,000 live births

6.9 deaths/1,000 live births

74.5 years (2024 est.)

71.8 years

77.3 years

1.87 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.91 (2025 est.)

Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)

Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

1.87 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Total: 62.5% of population (2022 est.)

Urban: 0% of population

Rural: 0% of population

Total: 37.5% of population (2022 est.)

38.8% (2022 est.)

10.2% of GDP (2019 est.)

Changes in sea levels and other disruptions in the Arctic environment

Arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

0.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent crops: 0% (2022 est.)

Permanent pasture: 0.6% (2023 est.)

0% (2023 est.)

99.4% (2023 est.)

87.9% of total population (2023)

0.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

527,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

12 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

527,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

50,000 tons (2024 est.)

None

Greenland

None

Kalaallit Nunaat

Named by Norse navigator Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 to attract settlers to the island; the original Greenlandic name, Kalaallit Nunaat, means "land of the people"

Parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut)

Part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Nuuk

64 11 N, 51 45 W

UTC-2 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Greenland has three time zones

Nuuk is the Inuit word for "cape;" until 1979, the name was Godthab, from the Danish words meaning "good hope"

5 municipalities (kommuner, singular - kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq

Denmark's laws apply in some areas, and Greenland's law for the remainder

Previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act)

See Denmark

18 years of age; universal

King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner Julie Praest WILCHE (since May 2022) (2024)

Prime Minister Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (since 28 March 2025)

Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut)

The monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term

2025: Jens-Frederik NIELSEN (D) elected premier 2021: Mute B. EGEDE elected premier; Parliament vote - Mute B. EGEDE (Inuit Ataqatigiit) unanimous 2014: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8%

Parliament (Inatsisartut)

Unicameral

31 (directly elected)

Proportional representation

Full renewal

4 years

4/6/2021

IA (12); S (10); N (4); D (3); A (2)

35%

2025

High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors)

Judges appointed by the monarch on 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

Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts

Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D Fellowship Party (Atassut) or A Forward Party (Siumut) or S Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA Signpost Party (Naleraq) or N (formerly Partii Naleraq)

Kenneth HØEGH, Head of Representation (since 1 August 2021)

3200 Whitehaven Street, NW Washington, DC 20008

[1] (202) 234-4300

[1] (202) 328-1470

Washington@nanoq.gl All Greenlandic Representations | Grønlands Repræsentation (grl-rep.dk); https://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Groenlands-repraesentation-Washington

Consul Susan A. "Suzi" WILSON (since August 2025)

Aalisartut Aqqutaa 47 Nuuk 3900 Greenland

(+299) 384100

USConsulateNuuk@state.gov Homepage - U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Kingdom of Denmark (usembassy.gov)

Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU

None (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark)

National Day, June 21

Description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red, with a large disk set slightly to the left; the top half of the disk is red, and the bottom is white meaning: the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark

Polar bear

Red, white

"Nuna asiilasooq" (The Land of Great Length)

Unknown

Adopted 1979, when home rule was granted; the Greenlandic government recognizes this local Kalaallit song as a secondary anthem

3 (2 cultural, 1 natural); note - excerpted from the Denmark entry

Ilulissat Icefjord (n); Kujataa, Norse, and Inuit Farming (c); Aasivissuit–Nipisat, Inuit Hunting Ground (c)

High-income, self-governing Danish territorial economy; non-EU member but preferential market access; dependent on Danish financial support; exports led by fishing industry; growing tourism and interest in untapped mineral deposits; relies on hydropower for fuel

$4.04 billion (2023 est.)

$4.005 billion (2022 est.)

$3.926 billion (2021 est.)

0.9% (2023 est.)

2% (2022 est.)

1.6% (2021 est.)

$71,000 (2023 est.)

$70,700 (2022 est.)

$69,300 (2021 est.)

$3.327 billion (2023 est.)

1.2% (2022 est.)

0% (2021 est.)

2.1% (2020 est.)

16.6% (2023 est.)

18.4% (2023 est.)

61% (2023 est.)

32.6% (2023 est.)

41.7% (2023 est.)

34.7% (2023 est.)

1.3% (2023 est.)

40.8% (2023 est.)

-51.1% (2023 est.)

Sheep, cattle, reindeer, fish, shellfish

Fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut), anorthosite and ruby mining, handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

-1.3% (2023 est.)

$1.719 billion (2016 est.)

$1.594 billion (2016 est.)

$1.357 billion (2023 est.)

$1.286 billion (2022 est.)

$1.122 billion (2021 est.)

Denmark 50%, China 23%, UK 5%, Japan 5%, Germany 3% (2023)

Fish, shellfish, processed crustaceans, ships, precious stones (2023)

$1.7 billion (2023 est.)

$1.657 billion (2022 est.)

$1.635 billion (2021 est.)

Denmark 58%, Sweden 19%, Spain 8%, Iceland 7%, Canada 2% (2023)

Refined petroleum, ships, garments, plastic products, furniture (2023)

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar -

6.894 (2024 est.)

6.89 (2023 est.)

7.076 (2022 est.)

6.287 (2021 est.)

6.542 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

190,000 kW (2023 est.)

534.5 million kWh (2023 est.)

10 million kWh (2023 est.)

13.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

85.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

5 metric tons (2023 est.)

383 million metric tons (2023 est.)

4,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

6,000 (2020 est.)

9 (2022 est.)

67,000 (2021 est.)

118 (2021 est.)

Greenland Broadcasting Company provides public radio and TV, with a broadcast station and a series of repeaters; a few private local TV and radio stations; Danish public radio rebroadcasts are available (2019)

.gl

70% (2017 est.)

18,000 (2022 est.)

32 (2022 est.)

OY-H

25 (2025)

54 (2025)

10 (2023)

Other 10

23 (2024)

0

0

7

10

6

5

Aasiaat, Illulissat (Jakobshavn), Kusanartoq, Nuuk, Paamuit (Frederikshab), Qeqertarsuaq, Sisimiut

No regular military forces

The Danish military’s Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk is responsible for coordinating Denmark's defense of Greenland the US Space Force maintains a base on Greenland’s northwest coast, about 750 miles from the North Pole