Greenland Information, Geography and History

INFORMATION

•  Full name: Greenland or Kalaallit Nunaat

•  Capital of Greenland: Nuuk (Godthab)

•  Language: Greenlandic (official), Kalaallisut, Danish

•  Currency: Danish Krone (Dkr)

•  Religion: Evangelical Lutheran, shamanism

•  National Anthem: Nangmineq erinllik (Our Country, Who's Become So Old)

•  Newspaper: Atuagagdliutit Gronlandsposten, Sermitsiak.

•  Places to Visit: Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Ilulissat Kangerlua, The Southern Fjords, Upernavik Old Town Museum

•  Transport: Several charters and international flights fly down to Greenland from Reykjavik in Iceland or Copenhagen in Denmark. Most of thees greenland flight halt at Kangerlussuaq in central Greenland and Narsarsuaq within southern Greenland. Ferries are also good source for travelling that ply from Aappilattoq in the south towards the north.

•  Shopping: Bone and soapstone carving, skin products and beadworks.

INTRODUCTION

Greenland, which stands for the Land of the Kalaallit or Greenlanders, is a Danish territory, which is solely self-governed. This Arctic nation is closely knit physically with North American continents but is even unified politically with the Europe. Greenland history dates back to the year 982 -985. Eric the Red explored the country and gave it a beautiful name of Greenland and that is after being outlawed for three years due to manslaughter in Iceland.

LOCATION OF GREENLAND

Greenland is nestled in the northern part of North America, lying in the midst of the Arctic Ocean and in the North Atlantic Ocean, which is towards the northeast of Canada.

PHYSICAL MAP OF GREENLAND

Greenland is acknowledged as the world's largest island, and is the world's prime dependent territory as far as area is concerned. Greenland covers relatively 836,109 square area of the total land space where major regions are covered with white ice sheets.

Greenland is engulfed on all ends by:

• The Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern side
• The Greenland Sea on the eastern side
• The Artic Ocean on the northern side
• The Baffin Bay

Greenland is surrounded by neighboring countries like Iceland towards the eastern front in Atlantic Ocean and Canada from the western front diagonally towards the Baffin Bay. Majority of the population inhabit along the Western coast, which is free from the ice cover sheets. The Greenlandic ice cap creates a depression on the central province within the land while forming a basin, which have risen above the sea level.

The northern part of the Greenland known as Peary Land, are free from the ice sheet cover, as the dry air of the region generates less production of ice within the province.

CLIMATE OF GREENLAND

Experience a frozen climatic condition within Greenland where temperature could be severe at times. The Danish locality is swept underneath by a four feet thick mass of ice sheet. Greenland experiences a brightly sketched long day during the summer months while the winter is comparatively colder. The Atlantic meets the Arctic Ocean along the northern province, which is enclosed by cold ocean currents that make the coast constantly cooler. This defines a typical artic climatic condition, which the place boasts of as the island is exposed to emission of radiation from the cold. The western coast of Greenland witnesses a warmer climatic condition with temperature ranging to about 6 degree centigrade.

• The western coastal city known as Nuuk, lying in the southern part of the Artic circle, witnesses a mid summer type of weather.

• The eastern coastal region is far colder than expected. Summers are even affected with frozen conditions at times.

The countryside along the south of Greenland, are characterized with green pastures during the summer months. It is generally hit by rainfall in every three days.

FLORA AND FAUNA OF GREENLAND

The birch dipped with green and brown colors along with willow scrub are some of the commonly found floras of the Greenland. Berries are found in abundance during the month of August, which is used by the local people for topping their desserts. The leaves from the Qajaasaq (Ledum groenlandicum) serve as a medicinal purpose that fight against major diseases present in the locality. Crowberry used supplement vitamins during the primitive era, something that still exists.

Greenland is famous for having a pride national flower known as "Niviarsiaq" that stands for "little girl" in Greenlandic. This willow herb grows in abundance that can be characterized by its red petals and green leafs, which can be chewed and eaten either raw or cooked.

Whale of different sizes and shapes are found here especially the assorted ranges of fin whales, blue whales, humpbacks, narwhal, white whales, lesser rorquals, sperm whales and pilot whales. One may even come across faunas like seals, reindeer, The Greenlandic White-tailed Eagle and many other species.

Stay connected at Mapsofworld for all relevant information about the Greenland Island.