A quick look at the geography and language of Greenland together with some facts and figures The world's largest island with a smaller population than the Isle of Man and mainly covered in ice. |
|||
![]() |
|||
Facts
& Information Index
|
Geography Geologically the country is mainly composed of some of the most ancient metamorphic rocks in existence, although in places in the south there are relatively recent rocks formed by volcanic eruptions. Around the ice there are mountainous fringes heavily eroded by ice and frost. Inland occasional nunataks thrust their peaks through the icecap, and the highest point is Gunnbjørnsfjeld at 3,733m, not far short of Mont Blanc. Winter climate is severe with temperatures in settled areas down to -30°C and lower on the ice. Summers can rise to 15° or more in the south and west, although the east remains cool. However summers also bring rapidly changing weather and cold conditions can still be experienced, especially at night. In general the south and west coasts are more temperate due to warm ocean currents, but the east (which is virtually devoid of settlement) experiences the effects of a cold current from polar regions. Precipitation is generally low, especially away from the south. As most of Greenland is inside the Arctic Circle much of the country experiences continuous daylight in summer and darkness in winter. The far south has long summer and short winter days. Population and
language The Greenlandic language, based on Inuit dialects, is daunting to the European for whom it is said to be more difficult to learn that Chinese. Pronunciation is guttural and words can be combined to produce very long single words which are virtually sentences in themselves. Danish is spoken by nearly all Greenlanders. English is spoken by many, especially those associated with tourism. Economy Greenland has no roads (with the exception of those within settlements) so transport is by air, sea when it is not frozen and dogsled when it is. Externally passenger flights run daily to Copenhagen, plus a few summer flights to Iceland. Direct services to Baltimore have just been introduced. However despite the extreme conditions and relative paucity of resources Greenland has a good standard of living with good services. |
||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |