The inhabitants of Greenland originate from Central Asia. The country is part of the North American continent, but geopolitically the island is part of Europe.
Greenland is the world's largest island and almost eighty per cent of this self-governed area is covered by an ice cap and many glaciers. The ice-free area is still almost as large as the whole of Sweden but only a very small part of this is arable land.
Greenland has less than 57,000 inhabitants of whom about 15,000 live in the capital Nuuk.
Greenland is part of the kingdom of Denmark but has a great degree of self-government, which will be further expanded in 2009. This does, however, not include affairs of state which include foreign and security policy and foreign exchange policy.
Greenland is not a member of the EU, but has a special fisheries agreement and was accepted as one of the overseas countries and territories with special association with the EU.
Sealing and whaling, fishing and hunting are the predominant sources of income in Greenland. The country also has a growing income from tourism as well as some mining.
Per capita GDP is about € 25,000 (2006).
| Total area | 2,166,086 km2 |
| Inland ice and glaciers | 1,755,637 km2 |
| Ice-free area | 410,449 km2 |
| Highest point | Gunnbjørn's Fjeld 3,693 m |
| Coast line | 44,087 km |
| National borders | 0 km |
|
Forests |
1 km2 |
|
Precipitation (2006) Aasiaat Tasiilaq |
352 mm 742 mm |
| Population 1 January 2012 | 56,749 inh. |
| Population density in the ice-free area 01.01.12 | 0.14 pop./km2 |
| Population, capital city 1 January 2012 | Nuuk 16,181 |
| National day | 21. June (Longest day) |
| Form of government | Self Government - within the kingdom of Denmark |
| Parliament | Inatsisartut or Landstinget (31 seats) |
| Membership of the EU | From 1 January 1973 to 1 February 1985 |
| Membership of NATO | From 1949 (due to the Danish membership) |
| Head of State (September 2009) | Queen Margrethe II |
| Head of government (as at October 2009) | Kuupik Kleist (Inuit Ataqatigiit, Independence Party) |
| Currency: | Danish crown (DKK) |
| Official website | http://dk.nanoq.gl/ |
| Official language | Greenlandic |
1 Nuuk municipality