š¬š± 14 Glorious Facts about Greenland
Before you set off to see the Northern Lights, take a look at these 14 fun facts about Greenland!
1. Greenland is actually the property of Denmark.
Greenland is a Danish territory between the NorthĀ AtlanticĀ andĀ ArcticĀ Oceans.
Its nearest neighbors areĀ CanadaĀ to the west, Svalbard to the east andĀ Norway,Ā Iceland, United Kingdom andĀ IrelandĀ to the southeast.
2. Hereās how to get there with a compass.
To land your ship or plane on the beautiful island of Greenland, head for the coordinates 72.0000Ā° N, 40.0000Ā° W.
3. Itās not exactly the easiest land to traverse!
Roughly 80% of the terrain here is flat to rolling icecap, whilst the remaining 20% features aĀ mountainous, rocky coast.
Flag of Greenland
4. Greenland is absolutely gigantic.
The total land area of Greenland is 836,330 square miles (2,166,086 square kilometers)ā¦ā¦thatās almost 9 times the size of theĀ UK!
It also makes Greenland the worldās largest island!
5. However, people are very far and few between.
Greenlandās population was 56,025 in 2018ā¦thatās less than 0.1% of the UK population!
That also makes it the least densely populated country in the world!
6. Funnily enoughā¦
Residents here are known asĀ Greenlanders.
7. Does Greenland have a capital city?
The capital isĀ Nuuk; it covers an area of 266 square miles (690 square kilometers) and had a population of 17,000 in 2014.
8. Chilly stuff indeed!
Greenlanders experience an arctic to sub-arctic climate with cool summers and cold winters.
9. There are only two ways to travel.
Amazingly, there are no roads between towns in Greenland. Instead, transportation is by eitherĀ boatĀ or plane!
Ilulissat, Greenland
10. Check out Aurora Borealis!
It is possible to witness theĀ Northern LightsĀ on clear evenings throughout the year!
11. Speak the language?
The official language of Greenland isā¦ Greenlandic! Danish and English are also spoken here.
12. Danish money works here, too!
Danish KroneĀ is the official currency here.
Tasiilaq, Greenland
13. Life expectancy here is actually very reasonable!
The averageĀ lifeĀ span here is 70.62 years (2017).
14. And yes, Greenland exports all kinds of things!
Greenland rearsĀ sheep,Ā reindeerĀ andĀ cattleĀ and they also catch fish. No commercial crops are grown here due to the icecap and weather conditions.
Its industry consists of fish processing, mining, hides and handicrafts.
Greenland exports fish, fish products and metals.
Nuuk
FAQs about Greenland
Is Greenland a nice place to live?
Yes, if you can stand the deep freeze! Itās extremely cold most of the time, but the summers are surprisingly warm - for the region.
Can I buy a home in Greenland?
Bizarrely, thereās no such thing as private property in Greenland - itās impossible even to buy your own bit of land here!
Does Greenland have cars?
Very, very few - thereās thought to be fewer than 6,000 cars registered in the whole of the country!
Do you know any fun facts about Greenland? Ā Share them in the comments below!
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This page was last modified on February 23, 2023. Suggest an edit
