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Greenland Profile |
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Quick Facts About Greenland
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Source: CIA World Factbook
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Capital
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name: Nuuk (Godthab)
geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: Greenland is divided into four time zones
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Country Name
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
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Dependency Status
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part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979
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Type of Government
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parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
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Background
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Greenland, the world"s largest island, is about 81% ice capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control of Greenland"s foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland"s Home Rule Government.
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Branches
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no regular military forces
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 22.6% (male 6,611/female 6,424)
15-64 years: 70.2% (male 21,663/female 18,774)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 2,130/female 2,035) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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Greenlandic (East Inuit) (official), Danish, English
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Population
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57,637 (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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Evangelical Lutheran
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Internet Users
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36,000 (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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slightly more than three times the size of Texas
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Area
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total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered)
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Terrain
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flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast
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Climate
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arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
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Natural Hazards
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continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
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| Greenland |
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Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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