Greenland’s nature is absolutely wild and breathtaking — it’s one of the last truly untamed frontiers on Earth. About 80% of Greenland is covered by a gigantic ice sheet, second only to Antarctica. It holds about 8% of Earth’s fresh water.
Did you know that there are no ants in Greenland? No ants, no grasshoppers, no dragonflies, but a lot of other things! Beside the magnificent sceneries, Greenland is known for its spectacular wildlife.
There are hundreds of known species of fish and shell fish in the waters surrounding Greenland. Of the sea mammals the most important are the ringed seal, the bearded seal, the harp seal, the hooded seal, the common seal and the walrus. The Greenlandic waters are also habitat for a wide variety of whales. All the whale species of the North Atlantic come to the waters of Greenland at some point or another to breed and eat.
Greenland’s isolated location has impeded the immigration of wild land mammals. In fact Greenland only has seven species of wild land mammals: the polar bear, the polar hare, the Arctic fox, the reindeer, the musk ox, the lemming and the wolf. Accordingly there is a very scarce selection of small land mammals, and many animal groups are not represented at all – e.g. amphibians and reptiles.
It’s not just snow and ice.
Did you know that people actually farm and grow vegetables in some areas — a throwback to the Norse settlers who once lived there.
The summer temperature in Greenland is normally around 5 to 15 degrees C in the shade.
To read more about the nature and wildlife of Greenland, please go to VisitGreenland.com.
HISTORY: Greenland has been inhabited for at least 4,500 years. They were primarily Arctic peoples who immigrated from Canada. In the early 10th century, Vikings settled in southern Greenland. Their descendants disappeared in the late 15th century.
More than 300 years ago (in 1721) Greenland became a Danish colony, which it remained until 1953. In 1953 amendments were made to the Danish Constitution, and Greenland ceased to be a Danish colony.
In 1979, Greenland went from being a county to being a largely self-governing part of the Kingdom with home rule and a home rule government. Once again in 2009, the authority of the Greenlandic government was extended and the country now covers all spheres of society with the exception of the foreign and security policy areas. In other words, Greenland officially became a self-governed nation within the realm of the Kingdom of Denmark in 2009.
Today, there is close cooperation between Denmark and Greenland in many ways. An increasing number of Greenlanders are applying for higher education in Denmark and many Danes go to Greenland to work e.g. craftsmen and researchers.
Regarding free health care The Capital Region of Denmark has a formal cooperation agreement with Greenland regarding treatment at the Capital Region’s hospitals of patients residing in Greenland. This concerns treatments where all or part of the treatment cannot be provided in Greenland.
There are about 56,000 people living in Greenland. Approximately 7-8 percent are ethnic Danes.
