Interesting Facts About Greenland - Fun Facts About Greenland

Greenland is a country that situated between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, which serves as a self-governing Danish province. In terms of geography, the country is an Arctic island nation that forms a part of North American continent. However, politically and historically, it associated with Europe, while nationally; it forms a part of Denmark. Earlier under Danish occupation, Greenland was granted home rule in 1978. Being situated to the east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the country has North America as its closest neighbor. In case you want to know more about Greenland, make use of the information provided in the following lines.

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Fun & Interesting Facts about Greenland

The official languages of Greenland are Greenlandic and Danish, but English is also widely understood.
Greenland is spread over an area of 2,175,900 sq km, of which around 85 percent is covered with ice.
The currency of Greenland is Danish krone.
The capital of Greenland is Nuuk.
Greenland follows the system of ‘Parliamentary Democracy’, within a constitutional monarchy.
Greenland was discovered by Vikings in the 10^th century. It is believed that they named it Greenland in order to entice settlers.
Greenland is the world's largest island, in terms of area, which is not a continent in its own right.
In Greenlandic, Greenland is known as ‘Kalaallit Nunaat’, meaning the Land of People.
The majority of population in Greenland lives in the western areas, which are ice-free and situated along the coast.
Greenland was a closed and self-sufficient economy till World War II.
The first Christian church on the American continent was built in Greenland.
Kayak, anorak and igloo are Greenlandic words that have been adopted directly by many other languages.
The ice cap of Greenland was first crossed in 1888, on skis.
Ilulissat (Jakobshavn) houses the most active glacier in the northern hemisphere.
The national dish of Greenland is boiled seal meat, along with rice and onions.
Light controlled pedestrian crossings and roundabouts in Greenland can only be seen in its capital - Nuuk.
In Greenland, there are basically two ways of covering long distances - aircraft/helicopter and ship. There are no roads connecting its towns.
The first Inuit came to Greenland as much as 4,500 years ago.
The Greenlandic flag was introduced in 1985, designed by Thue Christiansen, a Greenlandic artist.
The Greenlandic coat of arms was introduced in 1985, designed by Jens Rosing, a Greenlandic artist.
Greenland remained a member of the EU from January 1973 to February 1985. It has been a member of NATO since 1949.
Danish colonization of Greenland began in 18^th century and the country became an integral part of Denmark in 1953.
Greenland was granted self-government by Danish parliament in the year 1979.
Northern lights appear in Greenland throughout the year, but can only be observed against a clear night sky.
During the Arctic summer, the sun never sets in Greenland. In Ilulissat, the sun never sets from 25^th May to 25^th July.
July is the only month in which Greenland's temperature goes above the freezing point.
About 10,000 to 15,000 icebergs are calved (break off) by Greenland's glaciers each year.

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