General Information
Greenlanders enjoy a unique position among the world's indigenous peoples in that Greenland is recognized as an autonomous nation residing within the Danish Kingdom. In every respect The Greenland Home Rule Government has complete legislative power over Greenland's internal affairs.

Peoples of various cultures have migrated to Greenland throughout the ages. The ancestors of the present day Greenlanders have inhabited the country for about 4 to 5,000 years. Today's Greenlander is a rich mix of the land's aboriginal people and its migrants, and those - many of whom were whalers - who have frequented Greenland.

The Inuit, Greenland's indigenous people, share a common language and culture with the Inuit in Canada and Alaska. Eighty percent of Greenland's 55,000 residents are Inuit; the rest are primarily Danes. The population is distributed among 120 localities, 65 of which have less than 100 residents each. Nuuk, the capital and largest town, has a population of 13,000.

Geography
Greenland is the world's largest island covering an area of 2,175,600 sq. km. Geographically, it belongs to the North American continent. Across the Nares Strait there are only 26 km separating North West Greenland from Canada. To compare, Svalbard (Spitzbergen) and Iceland are 500 and 275 km away, respectively.

It is 2,670 km from the farthest point north, Cape Marris Jeppup (only 740 km from the North Pole) to the southern most tip, Cape Farewell, which lies at the same latitude as Oslo.

The inland ice-cap covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometres and represents 10% of the world's total fresh water. At its centre the ice-cap is 8 km thick. Greenland's ice-free regions cover an area of 341,700 sq. km.

Climate
From north to south, Greenland spans several climatic zones. Even in South Greenland the presence of the inland ice-cap still gives rise to a climate which is Arctic (sub-Arctic). The annual mean-temperature is below zero and summer temperatures rarely exceed 10°C. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Greenland was -70°C at the northern most tip of the ice-cap.

The colossal ice-cap has its own climatic character. The edges of the inland ice experience frequent hurricanes and snow storms. On a yearly average, a metre of snow falls on the ice-cap. This is the equivalent of 34-35 centimetres of water. Annually, Greenland's southern region receives over 2000 mm more rain than the northern region.

There are also marked differences in the climate along the coastal regions and in the hinterland.

The Future
During the last decade of the Home Rule Government, much has happened: it has not been easy and there have been problems to contend with, problems which are familiar to most other countries. The period following the formation of the Home Rule Government has been hectic, and may appropriately be described as a passage through adolescence to adulthood.

Greenland is a country in rapid progress. For over half a century, the hallmark of this society has been characterized by an optimism about the future - a desire to stand forth and participate among the nations of the world. Greenland's poets were the first to stimulate the people to seize the responsibility for their own destiny. In 1912, Henrik Lund, one of Greenland's most erstwhile poets, wrote the following as part of Greenland's National Anthem: "We burn with the desire for development...The progress more mature societies have chosen is that we earnestly strive for."

Today, one might say that this has become much more than just a vision of the future. Contemporary Greenland is a modern society with industries, high-tech fisheries, an educational system which is on a par with that of any other nation; higher education has also been established in the country, the latest being the founding of Ilisimatusarfik - The University of Greenland in 1987.

During the last few years, the discovery of mineral deposits has also provided hope for the country's economic future