(part of the Danish realm)

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

Geographic coordinates: 72 00 N, 40 00 W

Map references: Arctic Region

Area:
total: 2,175,600 sq km
land : 2,175,600 sq km (341,600 sq km ice-free, 1,834,000 sq km ice-covered) (est.)

Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 44,087 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea : 3 nm

Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Terrain: flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point : Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

Natural resources: zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales

Land use:
arable land : 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

Environment - current issues: protection of the arctic environment; preservation of their traditional way of life, including whaling; note - Greenland participates actively in Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC)

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Whaling (extended through Denmark)
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography - note: dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast

Population: 56,376 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.3% (male 7,561; female 7,284)
15-64 years: 68.1% (male 20,880; female 17,489)
65 years and over : 5.6% (male 1,442; female 1,720) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.03% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 16.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.69 years
male: 65.13 years
female: 72.32 years (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.43 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic

Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (January 2000)

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran

Languages: Eskimo dialects, Danish, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect)

Literacy: NA
note: similar to Denmark proper

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat

Data code: GL

Dependency status: part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division

Government type: NA

National capital: Nuuk (Godthab)

Administrative divisions: 3 districts (landsdele); Nordgronland, Ostgronland, Vestgronland

Independence: none (part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division)

National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)

Constitution: 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Legal system: Danish

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Gunnar MARTENS (since NA 1995)
note: government coalition - Siumut and Atasuut Party
head of government: Prime Minister Jonathan MOTZFELDT (since 19 September 1997)
cabinet:Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections:the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by Parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 16 February 1999 (next to be held NA February 2003)
election results: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - 57.3%

Legislative branch:unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on
elections: last held on 16 February 1999 (next to be held by NA February 2003
election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.2%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.1%, Atassut Party 25.2%, Candidate's League 12.3%, independent 5.2%; seats by party - Siumut 11, Atassut 8, Inuit Ataqatigiit 7, Candidate List 4, independent 1

Judicial branch: High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen)

Political parties and leaders: Akulliit Party [Bjarne KREUTZMANN]; Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Daniel SKIFTE]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no official platform [leader NA]; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Hans ENOKSEN]

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

Economy - overview: The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and minerals exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry : NA%
services: NA%

Inflation rate - consumer price index:1.6% (1999 est.)

Labor force:
total: 24,500 (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 24,500 (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $646 million
expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999)

Industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp), handicrafts, furs, small shipyards

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 92,500 kW

Electricity - production: 250 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 232.5 million kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: forage crops, small garden vegetables; sheep, fish

Exports:
total value:$264 million (f.o.b., 2000)
commodities : fish and fish products 95%
partners: EU (mostly Denmark), Norway, US, Canada

Imports:
total value:$349 million (c.i.f., 2000)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products
partners : EU (mostly Denmark), Norway, US, Canada

Debt - external: $25 million (1999)

Economic aid: $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1999)

Currency: 1 Danish krone (DKK) = 100 oere

Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 8.418 (January 2002), 8.323 (2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Telephones: 25,617 (yearend 1999)

Telephone system: adequate domestic and international service provided by cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay
international : satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:30,000 (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations:1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997)

Televisions: 30,000 (1998 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total : 150 km
paved: 60 km
unpaved: 90 km

Ports and harbors: Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab), Qaqortoq (Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001)

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,289 GRT/1,500 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1 (2002 est.)

Airports: 15 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m : 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total:6
1,524 to 2,437 m : 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2001)

Military manpower - military age: 16 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: 494

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Disputes - international: none