Greenland: an huge island of ice

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Greenland (Grønland; Kalaallit Nunaat) is a huge ice island extending mostly north of the Arctic Circle between 83° and 59° north latitude. This huge island is the largest island of the world with a total area of over two million square kilometers.

The country is located in the North Atlantic Ocean between the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, which separate it from Canada and Denmark Strait, which separates it from Iceland. Politically Greenland belongs to Denmark, of which it is a county with full legislative and administrative autonomy.

A HUGE ICE ISLAND

The ice-free areas total only 341,700 square kilometers compared to the more than two million square kilometers of the whole country. About one-twentieth of the ice of the Earth and a quarter of the Earth’s surface ice is found on Greenland.

The territory of Greenland is very poor in vegetation. There are very few trees, while in areas free of ice lichens, mosses and shrubs are to be found, especially along the west and south coasts, where the climate is tempered by the warm Gulf Stream.

The interior of Greenland is made up of a vast ice sheet, which reaches heights between 2,000 and 3,000 meters. The highest areas are in the center of this huge ice sheet, which occupies about 85% of the total area of the country, reaching up to 3,200 meters.

The highest mountains of Greenland are situated along the east coast facing Iceland. Here are Mount Forel with 3,383 meters and Gunnbjørns Fjeld with 3,700 meters, the latter being the highest mountain of Greenland.

The climate of Greenland. What to see: Tourist attractions.

English text correction by Dietrich Köster.

Area: 2,175,600 sq km
Population: 55,000. Mainly Inuit (Eskimo).
State Capital: Nuuk (Godthåb).
Official Languages: Danish and Kalaallisut (Greenlandic). English is known by most of the population.
Religion: Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Currency: Danish Kroner (DKK)
Time Zones: GMT-3 is used as the country’s official time. Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time) and Winter Time follow the European Union system: (UTC 0 – UTC-4)