| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat note: named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 in order to entice settlers to the island |
| Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) |
| Capital | name: Nuuk (Godthaab) geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Greenland has four time zones etymology: "nuuk" is the Inuit word for "cape" and refers to the city's position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord |
| Administrative divisions | 5 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq note: Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni Nuna Eqqissisimatitaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly |
| Independence | none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland) |
| National holiday | National Day, June 21; note - marks the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere |
| Constitution | history: previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) (2021) |
| Legal system | the laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas |
| Citizenship | see Denmark |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011) head of government: Premier Mute B. EGEDE (since 23 April 2021) cabinet: Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut) on the basis of the strength of parties elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term election results: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote - using the d'Hondt method - to serve 4-year terms) Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms elections: Greenland Parliament - last held on 6 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025) Greenland members to Danish Parliament - last held on 5 June 2019 (next to be held by 4 June 2023) election results: Greenland Parliament percent of vote by party - IA 37.4%, S 30.1%, PN 12.3%, D 9.3%, A 7.1%, other 3.8%; seats by party - IA 12, S 10, PN 4, D 3, A 2; composition - men 21, women 10, percent of women 32.2% Greenland members in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - IA 1, S 1; composition - 2 women |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors); note - appeals beyond the High Court of Greenland can be heard by the Supreme Court (in Copenhagen) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D [Jens Frederik NIELSEN] Forward Party (Siumut) or S [Erik JENSEN] Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Mute Bourup EGEDE] Signpost Party (Partii Naleraq) or PN [Hans ENOKSEN] Fellowship Party (Atassut) or A [Aqqalu JERIMIASSEN] |
| International organization participation | Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); note - Greenland has an office in the Danish Embassy in the US; it also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York email address and website: washington@nanoq.gl |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white; the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as those of the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark |
| National symbol(s) | polar bear; national colors: red, white |
| National anthem | name: "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit" ("Our Country, Who's Become So Old" also translated as "You Our Ancient Land") lyrics/music: Henrik LUND/Jonathan PETERSEN note: adopted 1916; the government also recognizes "Nuna asiilasooq" as a secondary anthem |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
