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:''This article is about Greenland, the island dependency of Denmark. For information about the town of Greenland, see [[Greenland, New Hampshire]].'' |
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'''Greenland''' ([[Greenlandic]]: ''Kalaallit Nunaat'', "The Land of the Greenlanders (Kalaallit)"; [[Danish language|Danish]]: ''Grønland''), an [[Artic]] [[island nation]] located in the northern [[Atlantic Ocean]], is the [[List of islands by size|world's largest]] [[island]] (if continents are excluded and [[Australia]] is considered one). About 84 percent of its surface is covered by [[ice]]. |
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Greenland was one of the [[Norway|Norwegian]] Crown colonies until [[1814]], when it became part of [[Denmark]]. Greenland became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark in [[1953]]. It was granted [[devolution|home rule]] (''hjemmestyre'') by the [[Folketing]] (Danish parliament) on [[May 1]], [[1979]]. The law went into effect the following year. The [[Queen of Denmark]], [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Margrethe II]], remains as Greenland's [[Head of state]]. |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right width=280px style="margin:0 0 1em 1em"> |
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<caption><font size=+1>'''Kalaallit Nunaat''' <small> ([[Greenlandic]])</small><br> |
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'''Grønland''' <small>([[Danish]])</small></font></caption> |
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<tr><td style=background:#efefef; align=center colspan=2> |
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<table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0> |
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<tr><td align=center width=140px>[[Image:Greenland flag large.png|125px|Flag of Greenland]] |
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<td align=center width=140px rowspan=2>[[Image:Gl).gif|80px|Greenland Coat of Arms]] |
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<tr><td align=center width=140px>([[Flag of Greenland|In Detail]]) |
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</table> |
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<tr><td align=center colspan=2 style=border-bottom:3px solid gray;><font size=-1>[[Motto]]: ''None''</font> |
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<tr><td align=center colspan=2>[[Image:LocationGreenland.png]]</td></tr> |
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<tr><td>[[Official language]]s<td>[[Kalaallisut language|Kalaallisut]], [[Danish language|Danish]] |
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<tr><td>[[Capital]]<td>[[Nuuk]] (Godthåb) |
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<tr><td>[[List of Danish monarchs|Monarch]]<td>[[Margrethe II of Denmark|Margrethe II]] |
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<tr><td>[[List of Prime Ministers of Greenland|Prime Minister]]<td>[[Hans Enoksen]] |
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<tr><td>[[Area]]<br> - Total <br> - % ice<td>[[List of countries by area|Ranked 14th]]<br>[[1 E12 m2|2,166,086 km²]]<br> 81.1% |
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<tr><td>[[Population]]<br> - Total ([[2003]]) <br> - [[Population density|Density]]<td>[[List of countries by population|Ranked 210th]]<br>56,385<br> 0.2/km² |
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<tr><td>[[Independence]]<td>None (Danish dependency. Self-governing since [[1979]].) |
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<tr><td>[[Currency]]<td>[[Danish krone]] |
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<tr><td>[[Time zone]]<td>[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] 0 to -4 |
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<tr><td>[[National anthem]]<td>[[Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit]]<br>[[Nuna asiilasooq]] |
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<tr><td>[[Top-level domain|Internet TLD]]<td>.GL |
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<tr><td>[[List of country calling codes|Calling Code]]<td>299 |
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</table> |
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== History == |
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''Main article: [[History of Greenland]]'' |
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It is unknown when the native inhabitants of Greenland arrived, or why they decided to settle such a desolate place. [[Iceland|Icelandic]] settlers found the land uninhabited when they arrived ca. AD 1000. They established three settlements near the very south-western tip of the island, where they thrived for the next few centuries. |
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The name Greenland comes from those [[Scandinavia]]n settlers. In the [[Norse saga]]s, it is said that [[Erik the Red|Eiríkur Rauði]] (Erik the Red) was exiled from [[Iceland]] for murder. He, along with his family and slaves, set out in [[longship]]s to find the land that was rumoured to be to the north-west. After settling there, he named the land Greenland in order to attract more people to settle there. This proved successful, and the settlements seemed to be getting relatively well along with the new coming [[Inuit]], and a Christian Bishop was sent. In [[1386]], Greenland became part of the [[Kalmar Union]] and later of the double monarchy of [[Denmark-Norway]]. |
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After almost five hundred years, the settlements simply vanished, probably due to famine during the [[15th century]] in the [[Little Ice Age]], when climatic conditions deteriorated. Bones from this late period were found to be in a condition consistent with malnutrition. |
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Denmark retained possession of the moribund colony at the [[Treaty of Kiel]] in [[1815]]. |
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[[Norway]] claimed the territory in the 1920s, but the claim was rejected by the [[League of Nations]], the main reason being unlawful occupation by Norwegian colonists. |
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Greenland was also called Gruntland ("Ground-land") on early maps. Whether Green is an erraneous transcription of Grunt ("Ground"), which refers to shallow bays, or vice versa, is not known. |
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== Politics == |
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''Main article: [[Politics of Greenland]]'' |
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Greenland's unicameral parliament is called [[Landsting (Greenland)|Landsting]]. It has 31 seats and members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. Two representatives are also elected to the Danish Parliament, the [[Folketing]]. The government has pledged to hold a referendum on full independence in [[2005]]. |
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Administratively, the country is parted in three districts, which together include 18 municipalities. The districts are: Avannaarsua (Northern Greenland), with one municipality; Tunu (East Greenland) with two municipalities; and Kitaa (West Greenland) with 15 municipalities. One military district, Pituffik, is not included among the municipalities. |
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== Geography == |
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''Main article: [[Geography of Greenland]]'' |
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[[Image:Greenland_big.png|thumb|Map of Greenland]] |
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The extreme [[north]] of Greenland is not covered by an ice cap (indicated as pale blue in the map to the right), because the [[air]] there is too dry to produce [[snow]], which is essential in the production and maintenance of an ice cap. |
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If the Greenland ice cap were to completely [[melt]] away, Greenland would most likely be an [[archipelago]] instead of an [[island]]-[[continent]] (like [[Australia]]). |
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== Economy == |
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''Main article: [[Economy of Greenland]]'' |
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Greenland suffered negative economic growth in the early 1990s, but since [[1993]] the economy has improved. The Greenland Home Rule Government (GHRG) has pursued a tight fiscal policy since the late [[1980s]] which has helped create surpluses in the public budget and low inflation. Since [[1990]], Greenland has registered a foreign trade deficit following the closure of the last remaining [[lead]] and [[zinc]] mine in 1990. Greenland today is critically dependent on [[fishing]] and [[fish]] exports; the [[shrimp]] fishery is by far the largest income earner. Despite resumption of several interesting [[hydrocarbon]] and [[minerals]] exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. [[Tourism]] is the only sector offering any near-term potential and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in Greenland's economy. About half the government revenues come from grants from the Danish Government, an important supplement of GDP. |
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== Demographics == |
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''Main article: [[Demographics of Greenland]]'' |
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== Culture == |
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''Main article: [[Culture of Greenland]]'' |
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== Miscellaneous topics == |
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*[[Communications in Greenland]] |
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*[[Transportation in Greenland]] |
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*[[Military of Greenland]] |
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*[[Foreign relations of Greenland]] |
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*[[List of universities in Greenland]] |
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== See also == |
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*[[Vinland|Viking colonization of the Americas]] |
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*[[Danish colonization of the Americas]] |
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*[[History of Denmark]] |
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*[[Danish West Indies]] |
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*[[Tranquebar|Danish India]] |
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== References == |
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*[[CIA World Factbook]] 2000 |
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== External links == |
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*[http://dk.nanoq.gl/ Greenland Homerule] - Official site |
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*[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gl.html Greenland] - CIA World Factbook |
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{{Nordic_Council}} |
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{{North_America}} |
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[[cy:Grønland]] |
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[[da:Grønland]] |
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[[de:Grönland]] |
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[[et:Gröönimaa]] |
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[[es:Groenlandia]] |
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[[eo:Gronlando]] |
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[[fr:Groenland]] |
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[[id:Greenland]] |
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[[it:Groenlandia]] |
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[[he:גרינלנד]] |
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[[la:Groenlandia]] |
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[[nl:Groenland]] |
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[[ja:グリーンランド]] |
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[[nds:Grönland]] |
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[[pl:Grenlandia]] |
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[[pt:Gronelândia]] |
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[[ru:Гренландия]] |
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[[simple:Greenland]] |
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[[sl:Grenlandija]] |
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[[sv:Grönland]] |
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[[zh-cn:格陵兰]] |
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[[Category:Greenland]] |
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