Greenland
Locator map for the Danish dependency of Greenland. The island, the largest in the world, lies between the north Atlantic and Artic oceans, east of North America.
World's largest island, a dependency of Denmark, lying between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans east of North America; area 2,175,600 sq km/840,000 sq mi; population (2003 est) 56,500, comprising Inuit (Ammassalik Eskimoan), Danish, and other Europeans. The capital is Godthåb (Greenlandic Nuuk) on the west coast; other important settlements are Holsteinborg (Sisimut), Egedesminde (Aasiaat), and Julianehåb (Qaqortoq). More than 90% of the population live along the Western coast. The main economic activities are fishing and fish-processing.
History
Greenland was discovered in about 985 by
Eric the Red, who founded colonies on the west coast soon after Inuit from the North American Arctic had made their way to Greenland. Christianity was introduced to the Vikings in about 1000, and Greenland became a bishopric
c.1110. In 1261 the Viking colonies accepted Norwegian sovereignty, but in the 14th and 15th centuries Greenland was neglected, and the colonists either died out or assimilated with the Inuit, who had moved on to the east coast. The British explorers Martin Frobisher and John Davis rediscovered Greenland in the 16th century but found no trace of Norsemen. Modern colonization was begun in 1721 by the Norwegian missionary Hans Egede, and Danish trading posts were established shortly afterward. It became a Danish colony in the 18th century, and following a referendum in 1979 was granted full internal self-government in 1981.
Features The entire coastline of Greenland is deeplt indented by fjords, and there are many offshore islands, of which Disko Island, western Greenland, is the largest. The whole of the interior is covered by a vast ice sheet (the remnant of the last glaciation, part of the icecap of the North Pole). The island has an important role strategically and in civil aviation, and shares military responsibilities with the USA; there are US military bases there, notably at Thule. Deposits of cryolite, iron, zinc, and lead, which have been important to the island's mining industry, have been largely worked out. Uranium, copper, coal, and molybdenum have also been detected, but are difficult to extract. The polar bear, polar wolf, musk ox, lemming, Arctic hare, and reindeer are the chief land mammals. Seabirds are hunted for their flesh, eggs, and down. |
Economy Greenland still depends heavily on its fishing industry, but in most recent years fishing has been declining; at the same time, fur trade (mainly seal-skin) has suffered from the anti-hunting movement. There is interest in building up new sources of income, such as mining and tourism. |
Government A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland then became a province, attained home rule in 1979, and began full self-government in 1981. It has a 27-member parliament (Landsting) and a prime minister, and continues to send two representatives to the Danish Folketing. Greenland joined the European Community (EC) with Denmark in 1972, but withdrew in 1985 after a controversy over stringent fishing quotas. |
Language Greenlandic (Ammassalik Eskimoan) |
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