Country Information

South Arctic/North Atlantic.

2,166,086 sq km (836,330 sq miles).

57,714 (2013).

0 per sq km.

Nuuk (Godthåb).

Self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Greenland is the world's biggest island. The surrounding seas are either permanently frozen or chilled by cold currents.

The inland area is covered with ice, stretching 2,500km (1,500 miles) north-south and 1,000km (600 miles) east-west. In the centre, the ice can be up to 3km (2 miles) thick.

The ice-free coastal region, which is sometimes as wide as 200km (120 miles), covers a total of 410,449 sq km (158,475 sq miles), and is where all of the population is to be found. This region is intersected by deep fjords which connect the inland ice area with the sea.

The official languages are Greenlandic, an Inuit (Eskimo) language and Danish. Greenlanders connected with tourism will normally speak English.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark majority, with small groups of Roman Catholics and other Protestant denominations.

Central/Southern Greenland: GMT - 3 (GMT - 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
East Greenland: GMT - 1 (GMT from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
West Greenland: GMT - 4 (GMT -3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Life is generally conducted at a more relaxed pace than is usual in northern Europe, as exemplified by the frequent use of the word immaqa - 'maybe'. Until recently, foreign visitors were very rare. The name of the country in Greenlandic is Kalaallit Nunaat, meaning 'Land of the People'.

Photography: Throughout the country there is a ban on taking photographs inside churches or church halls during services. A UV or skylight filter and a lens shade should always be used. In winter, the camera must be polar-oiled. It is advisable to bring your own film. Film cannot always be developed in Greenland.

220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Prime Minister Aleqa Hammond since 2013.

HM Queen Margrethe II since 1972.

More than 75% of Greenlanders voted in favour of self-rule in the November 2008 referendum, paving the way for independence from Denmark. Self-rule was assumed in June 2009, giving Greenland rights to potentially lucrative Arctic resources, as well as control over justice, police and prison affairs and, to a certain extent, foreign affairs.

Doubts remain, however, over the viability of sovereignty - Greenland currently receives annual subsidies from Denmark amounting to almost half of its budget, but it is hoped that expected increases in revenue from the island's minerals will eventually help fund a complete breakaway from Copenhagen.