autonomous territory
An autonomous administrative division (also referred to as an autonomous area, entity, unit, region, subdivision, or territory) is a subnational administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country sub ...
*
*
* within the Danish Realm
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state
A sovereign state is a political entity that is represented by one centralized governmen ...
and the world's largest island, located between the Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Danish Realm, ...
and oceans, east of the 
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a sma ...
. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America
North America is a continent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continen ...
, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe
Europe is a which is also recognised as part of , located entirely in the and mostly in the . It comprises the westernmost peninsulas of the of Eurasia, it shares the continental landmass of with both and , and is bordered by the to the ...
(specifically Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway,Names in the official and recognised languages: Bokmål
Bokmål (, ; literally "book tongue") is an official written standard for the Norwegian language
Norwegian (Norwegian: ''norsk'') is a Nort ...
and Denmark, the colonial powers) for more than a millennium, beginning in 986.The Fate of Greenland's Vikings, by Dale Mackenzie Brown, ''Archaeological Institute of America'', 28 February 2000 The majority of its residents are
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples, also referred to as First people, Aboriginal people, Native people, or autochthonous people, ...
, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska
Alaska (; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a U.S. state in the Western United States, on the northwest extremity of the country's West Coast of the United State ...
through Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of ...
, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.
Today, the population is concentrated mainly on the southwest coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely populated. Greenland is divided into five municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unitArticle 3(1). , country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, first-level subdivision, as well as many similar terms, ...
– Sermersooq
Sermersooq (, ''place of much ice'', da, sted med meget is) is a municipality in Greenland, formed on 1 January 2009 from five earlier, smaller municipalities. Its administrative seat is the city of Nuuk (formerly called Godthåb), the capital ...
, Kujalleq
Kujalleq ( Greenlandic: ujaɬeq̚ literally meaning ''The South'', da, Syden) is a municipality on the southern tip of Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is the world's largest island, located between the A ...
, Qeqertalik
Qeqertalik (, English: ''The One with Islands'', da, Den Ene med Øerne) is a new municipality of Greenland created in 2018 from four southern regions of the former Qaasuitsup Municipality.
Geography
Qeqertalik Municipality is flanked in the ...
, Qeqqata
Qeqqata (, ''The Center'', da, Centrum) is a municipality in western Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is the world's largest island, located between the Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region ...
, and Avannaata
Avannaata (English language, English: ''The Northern'', (, da, Det Nordlige) is a new municipality of Greenland created on 1 January 2018 from the bulk of the former Qaasuitsup municipality. It encompasses an area of 522,700 km2 and has 10,726 i ...
. It has two unincorporated area
Sign at Heinola, an unincorporated community in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.">Minnesota.html" ;"title="Otter Tail County, Minnesota">Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
An unincorporated area is a region not governed by a local municipal corporat ...
s – the Northeast Greenland National Park
Northeast Greenland National Park ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq, da, Grønlands Nationalpark) is the world's largest national park and the 9th List of largest protected areas in the world, largest protected area (the only larger ...
and the Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base ( kl, Qaanaaq Mitarfik, da, Thule Lufthavn), or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Space Force
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the Space force, space service branch of the United States Armed ...
. The latter, while under Danish control, is administered by the United States Space Force
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the Space force, space service branch of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and the world's first and ...
. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet
In , an ice sheet, also known as a continental glacier, is a mass of that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than . The only current ice sheets are in and ; during the at (LGM) the covered much of , the ice sheet covered and the c ...
outside of Antarctica
Antarctica ( or ) is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Oc ...
. With a population of 56,081 (2020), it is the least densely populated region in the world. About a third of the population lives in Nuuk
Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Greenland, largest city of Greenland, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of Government of Greenland, government and the country's la ...
, the capital and largest city; the second-largest city in terms of population is Sisimiut
Sisimiut (), formerly known as Holsteinsborg, is the capital and largest city of the , the , and the largest arctic city in North America.The term 'city' is loosely used to describe any populated area in , given that the most populated place is ...
, north of Nuuk. The Arctic Umiaq Line
Arctic Umiaq Line A/S (AUL) or Arctic Umiaq is a passenger and freight shipping line in Greenland. Its name derives from the Kalaallisut language, Kalaallisut word for the traditional Inuit passenger boat, the umiak, distinguished from the kayak, u ...
ferry acts as a lifeline for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and settlements.
Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now Canada
Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific and northward into the Arctic Oce ...
. Norsemen
The Norsemen (or Norse people) were a North Germanic
The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extin ...
settled the uninhabited southern part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously . These Norsemen later set sail from Greenland and Iceland, with 
Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson, Leiv Eiriksson or Leif Ericson; Icelandic: ''Leifur Eiríksson''; Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation an ...
becoming the first known European to reach North America nearly 500 years before Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo
Colombo ( si, කොළඹ, translit=Kolamba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Kozhumpu, ) is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ...
reached the Caribbean islands. Inuit peoples arrived in the 13th century. Though under continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not formally under the Norwegian crown until 1261. The Norse colonies disappeared in the late 15th century after Norway was hit by the Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Afro-Eurasia from 1346 to 1353. It is the List of epidemics, most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causing th ...
and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island, naming it ''Terra do Lavrador'' (later applied to Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
A province is al ...
in Canada).
In the early 17th century, Danish explorers reached Greenland again. To strengthen trading and power, Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway (Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane", see Demographics of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ancestr ...
affirmed sovereignty over the island. Because of Norway's weak status, it lost sovereignty over Greenland in 1814 when the union was dissolved. Greenland became Danish in 1814 and was fully integrated in the in 1953 under the Constitution of Denmark
The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution ( da, Grundloven, fo, Grundlógin, kl, Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the con ...
. With the Constitution of 1953, the people in Greenland became citizens of Denmark. From 1961 Greenland joined the European Free Trade Association
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by bus ...
(EFTA), which Denmark
Denmark ( da, Danmark, ) is a Nordic country
The Nordic countries, or the Nordics, are a geographical and cultural region
In geography, regions are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), hu ...
joined as a founding member of the EFTA in 1960, but its membership ceased with effect from 1973 when Denmark
Denmark ( da, Danmark, ) is a Nordic country
The Nordic countries, or the Nordics, are a geographical and cultural region
In geography, regions are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), hu ...
joined the European Communities
The European Communities (EC), sometimes referred to as the European Community, were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of institutions
Institutions, according to Samuel P. Huntington, are "stable, valued, ...
. In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization
and Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Turkey, is a country straddling Southeastern Europe and Western Asia. It shares borders with Greece
...
(EEC) with Denmark. However, in a referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct
Direct may refer to:
Mathematics
* Directed set
In mathematics
Mathematics (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) includes the study of such topics as quantity (number th ...
in 1982, a majority of the population voted for Greenland to withdraw from the EEC. This was effected in 1985, changing Greenland to an OCT (Overseas Countries and Territories#REDIRECT Special member state territories and the European Union#REDIRECT Special member state territories and the European Union {{R from other capitalisation ...
{{R from other capitalisation ...
From 986, Greenland's west coast was settled by 
Icelandic saga accounts of life in Greenland were composed in the 13th century and later, and do not constitute primary sources for the history of early Norse Greenland.
These Icelandic settlements vanished during the 14th and early 15th centuries. The demise of the Western Settlement coincides with a decrease in summer and winter temperatures. A study of North Atlantic seasonal temperature variability during the Little Ice Age showed a significant decrease in maximum summer temperatures beginning in the late 13th century to early 14th century – as much as lower than modern summer temperatures. The study also found that the lowest winter temperatures of the last 2,000 years occurred in the late 14th century and early 15th century. The Eastern Settlement was likely abandoned in the early to mid-15th century, during this cold period.
Theories drawn from archeological excavations at Herjolfsnes in the 1920s suggest that the condition of human bones from this period indicates that the Norse population was malnourished, possibly because of 
In 1605–1607, King 
After the Norse settlements died off, Greenland came under the de facto control of various Inuit groups, but the Danish government never forgot or relinquished the claims to Greenland that it had inherited from the Norse. When it re-established contact with Greenland in the early 17th century, Denmark asserted its sovereignty over the island. In 1721, a joint mercantile and clerical expedition led by Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede was sent to Greenland, not knowing whether a Norse civilization remained there. This expedition is part of the Dano-Norwegian colonization of the Americas. After 15 years in Greenland, Hans Egede left his son Paul Egede in charge of the mission there and returned to Denmark, where he established a Greenland Seminary. This new colony was centred at Nuuk, Godthåb ("Good Hope") on the southwest coast. Gradually, Greenland was opened up to Danish merchants, but closed to those from other countries.
When the union between the crowns of Denmark and Norway was dissolved in 1814, the Treaty of Kiel severed Norway's former colonies and left them under the control of the Danish monarch. Norway occupied then-uninhabited eastern Greenland as Erik the Red's Land in July 1931, claiming that it constituted ''terra nullius''. Norway and Denmark agreed to submit the matter in 1933 to the Permanent Court of International Justice, which decided against Norway.
Greenland's connection to Denmark was severed on 9 April 1940, early in History of Greenland during World War II, World War II, after Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany. On 8 April 1941, the United States occupied Greenland to defend it against a possible invasion by Germany. The United States occupation of Greenland continued until 1945. Greenland was able to buy goods from the United States and Canada by selling cryolite from the mine at Ivittuut. The major air bases were Bluie West-1 at Narsarsuaq Airport, Narsarsuaq and Bluie West-8 at Kangerlussuaq Airport, Søndre Strømfjord (Kangerlussuaq), both of which are still used as Greenland's major international airports. Bluie was the military code name for Greenland.
During this war, the system of government changed: List of governors of Greenland, Governor Eske Brun ruled the island under a law of 1925 that allowed governors to take control under extreme circumstances; Governor Aksel Svane was transferred to the United States to lead the commission to supply Greenland. The Danish Slædepatruljen Sirius, Sirius Patrol guarded the northeastern shores of Greenland in 1942 using dogsleds. They detected several German weather stations and alerted American troops, who destroyed the facilities. After the collapse of the Third Reich, Albert Speer briefly considered escaping in a small aeroplane to hide out in Greenland, but changed his mind and decided to surrender to the United States Armed Forces.
Greenland had been a protected and very isolated society until 1940. The Politics of Denmark, Danish government had maintained a strict monopoly of Economy of Greenland, Greenlandic trade, allowing no more than small scale troaking, barter trading with British whalers. In wartime Greenland developed a sense of self-reliance through self-government and independent communication with the outside world. Despite this change, in 1946 a commission including the highest Greenlandic council, the :da:Grønlands Landsråd, Landsrådene, recommended patience and no radical reform of the system. Two years later, the first step towards a change of government was initiated when a grand commission was established. A final report (G-50) was presented in 1950, which recommended the introduction of a modern welfare state with Denmark's development as sponsor and model. In 1953, Greenland was made an equal part of the Danish Kingdom. Home rule was granted in 1979.
Following World War II, the United States developed a Geopolitics, geopolitical interest in Greenland, and in 1946 the United States offered to Proposed United States purchase of Greenland, buy the island from Denmark for $100,000,000. Denmark refused to sell it. Historically this repeated an interest by Secretary of State William H. Seward. In 1867 he worked with former senator Robert J. Walker to explore the possibility of buying Greenland and perhaps Iceland. Opposition in Congress ended this project. In the 21st century, the United States, according to WikiLeaks, remains interested in investing in the resource base of Greenland and in tapping hydrocarbons off the Greenlandic coast. In August 2019, the American president Donald Trump again proposed to buy the country, prompting premier Kim Kielsen to issue the statement, "Greenland is not for sale and cannot be sold, but Greenland is open for trade and cooperation with other countries – including the United States."
In 1950, Denmark agreed to allow the US to regain the use of 
With the 1953 Danish constitution, Greenland's colonial status ended as the island was incorporated into the Danish realm as an amt (country subdivision), amt (county). Danish citizenship was extended to Greenlanders. Danish policies toward Greenland consisted of a strategy of cultural assimilation – or de-Greenlandification. During this period, the Danish government promoted the exclusive use of the Danish language in official matters, and required Greenlanders to go to Denmark for their post-secondary education. Many Greenlandic children grew up in boarding schools in southern Denmark, and a number lost their cultural ties to Greenland. While the policies "succeeded" in the sense of shifting Greenlanders from being primarily subsistence hunters into being urbanized wage earners, the Greenlandic elite began to reassert a Greenlandic cultural identity. A movement developed in favour of independence, reaching its peak in the 1970s. As a consequence of political complications in relation to Denmark's entry into the European Common Market in 1972, Denmark began to seek a different status for Greenland, resulting in the Home Rule Act of 1979.
This gave Greenland limited autonomy with Parliament of Greenland, its own legislature taking control of some internal policies, while the Folketing, Parliament of Denmark maintained full control of external policies, security, and natural resources. The law came into effect on 1 May 1979. The List of Danish monarchs, Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II of Denmark, Margrethe II, remains Greenland's head of state. In 1985, Greenland left the 
Greenland is the world's List of islands by area, largest non-continental island and the third largest area in North America after 
Greenland is home to two ecoregions: Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra and Kalaallit Nunaat low arctic tundra.
The terrestrial vertebrates of Greenland include the Greenland dog, which was introduced by the 
The Greenlandic government holds executive power in local government affairs. The head of the government is called ''Naalakkersuisut Siulittaasuat'' ("Premier") and serves as head of Greenlandic Government. Any other member of the cabinet is called a ''Minister (government), Naalakkersuisoq'' ("Minister"). The Greenlandic parliament – the ''Inatsisartut'' ("Legislators"). The parliament currently has 31 members.
In contemporary times, elections are held at municipal, national (''Inatsisartut''), and kingdom (''Folketing'') levels.
Greenland is a self-governing entity within the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Denmark, in which Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II is the head of state. The monarch officially retains Executive (government), executive power and presides over the Danish Council of State, Council of State (privy council). However, following the introduction of a parliamentary system of government, the duties of the monarch have since become strictly representative and ceremonial, such as the formal appointment and dismissal of the Prime Minister of Denmark, prime minister and other ministers in the executive government. The monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and the monarch's person is sacrosanct.
Greenland's head of state is Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The Queen's politics of Denmark, government in Denmark appoints a List of Danish High Commissioners in Greenland, high commissioner (''Rigsombudsmand'') to represent it on the island. The commissioner is Mikaela Engell.
The Greenland constituency elect two List of members of the Folketing, MP representatives to the Kingdom Parliament (''Folketinget'') in Denmark, out of a total of 179. The current representatives are Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam of the Siumut Party and Aaja Chemnitz Larsen of the Inuit Community Party.
Greenland has national Parliament of Greenland, Parliament that consists of List of members of the parliament of Greenland, 31 representatives. The government is the Naalakkersuisut whose members are appointed by the premier. The head of government is the List of Premiers of Greenland, premier, usually the leader of the majority party in Parliament. The premier is Múte Bourup Egede, Muté Bourup Egede of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party.
The Greenlandic economy is highly dependent on fishing. Fishing accounts for more than 90% of Greenland's exports.
There is air transport both within Greenland and between the island and other nations. There is also scheduled boat traffic, but the long distances lead to long travel times and low frequency. There are virtually no roads between cities because the coast has many fjords that would require ferry service to connect a road network. The only exception is a gravel road of length between Kangilinnguit and the now abandoned former cryolite mining town of Ivittuut.
Greenland has a population of 56,421 (2021). In terms of country of birth, the population is estimated to be of 89.7% Greenlandic (
Both Greenlandic language, Greenlandic (an Eskaleut language, effectively meaning West Greenlandic) and Danish language, Danish have been used in public affairs since the establishment of home rule in 1979; the majority of the population can speak both. Greenlandic became the sole official language in June 2009, In practice, Danish is still widely used in the administration and in higher education, as well as remaining the first or only language for some Danish immigrants in Nuuk and other larger towns. Debate about the roles of Greenlandic and Danish in the country's future is ongoing. The orthography of Greenlandic was established in 1851 and Kalaallisut orthography, revised in 1973. The country has a 100% Literacy, literacy rate.
About 100 schools have been established. Greenlandic and Danish are taught there. Normally, Greenlandic is taught from kindergarten to the end of secondary school, but Danish is compulsory from the first cycle of primary school as a second language. As in Denmark with Danish, the school system provides for "Greenlandic 1" and "Greenlandic 2" courses. Language tests allow students to move from one level to the other. Based on the teachers' evaluation of their students, a third level of courses has been added: "Greenlandic 3". Secondary education in Greenland is generally vocational and technical education. The system is governed by Regulation No. 16 of 28 October 1993 on Vocational and Technical Education, Scholarships and Career Guidance. Danish language, Danish remains the main language of instruction. The capital, Nuuk, has a (bilingual) teacher training college and a (bilingual) university. At the end of their studies, all students must pass a test in the Greenlandic language.
Higher education is offered in Greenland: "university education" (regulation no. 3 of May 9, 1989); training of journalists, training of primary and lower secondary school teachers, training of social workers, training of social educators (regulation no. 1 of May 16, 1989); and training of nurses and nursing assistants (regulation no. 9 of May 13, 1990). Greenlandic students can continue their education in Denmark, if they wish and have the financial means to do so. For admission to Danish educational institutions, Greenlandic applicants are placed on an equal footing with Danish applicants. Scholarships are granted to Greenlandic students who are admitted to Danish educational institutions. To be eligible for these scholarships, the applicant must be a Danish nationality law, Danish citizen and have had permanent residence in Greenland for at least five years. The total period of residence outside Greenland may not exceed three years.
The nomadic Inuit people were traditionally shamanism among Eskimo peoples, shamanistic, with a well-developed Inuit mythology, mythology primarily concerned with appeasing a vengeful and Sedna (mythology), fingerless sea goddess who controlled the success of the seal hunting, seal and whaling, whale hunts.
The first Norse colonization of Greenland, Norse colonists worshipped the Norse religion, Norse gods, but 
Today Greenlandic culture is a blending of traditional Inuit (
Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) is the public Broadcasting, broadcasting company of Greenland. It is an associate member of Eurovision and an associate member of the Nordvision network. Nearly one hundred people are directly employed by this company, which is one of the largest in the territory. The city of Nuuk also has its own radio and television station. The city of Nuuk also has a local television channel, Nanoq Media, which was created on 1 August 2002. It is the largest local television station in Greenland, reaching more than 4,000 households as receiving members, which corresponds to about 75% of all households in the capital.