When you think of Greenland, the first images that pop into mind are likely endless sheets of ice and a remote, frosty wilderness. Yet there are a host of fascinating facts that most people overlook. Here are 10 things you might not have known about this massive Arctic island, each more intriguing than the last.
10 Things You Will Discover Below
10 Geography
Greenland functions as an autonomous territory inside the Kingdom of Denmark. While it runs its own internal affairs, it still leans on Denmark for certain essentials, such as defense and a sizable financial grant that makes up roughly 60 % of the government’s revenue.
Spanning about 2.2 million square kilometres (0.84 million square miles), Greenland holds the title of the world’s largest island. Its population is tiny – under 57 000 souls – which translates to the planet’s lowest population density. Roughly one‑third of those residents live in the capital, Nuuk.
Ice dominates the landscape, cloaking about 80 % of the landmass. Because the interior is frozen solid, all settlements hug the coastline where ice‑free ground is available. Though politically linked to Europe, Greenland’s landmass is geographically part of North America.
9 Inhabitants
The island’s two official languages are Greenlandic and Danish. Greenlandic features long, intricate words and challenging pronunciations, making it one of the toughest tongues for outsiders to master. In Greenlandic, the nation is called Kalaallit Nunaat, meaning “land of the people.”
Native Greenlanders are primarily Inuit, and today about 80 % of the population is either pure Inuit or of mixed Inuit‑Danish descent. Visitors sometimes mistakenly label them “Eskimos,” a term many locals find offensive.
The southwestern coast, where most Greenlanders reside, enjoys average summer temperatures of around 10 °C (50 °F). Winter there typically hovers near –8 °C (18 °F). Further north, conditions grow considerably colder.
Survival hinges on the sea: fishing, whaling, sealing, and hunting are daily staples. In many villages, a successful hunt – be it a bountiful fish haul or a rare polar‑bear kill – earns the hunter hero status and prompts communal celebration. Despite the harsh climate, the Inuit maintain a deep affection for their rugged homeland.
8 World’s Largest National Park
Two ministries – one handling housing, hunting, agriculture, fisheries and another overseeing the environment – share responsibility for nature conservation across Denmark and Greenland. Together they regulate resource use and safeguard protected zones.
The Northeast Greenland National Park was inaugurated in 1974 and later expanded in 1988 to its current staggering size of 0.97 million square kilometres (0.38 million square miles), making it the world’s largest national park. It shields vast stretches of the ice sheet as well as a host of Arctic fauna, including polar bears, arctic foxes, arctic hares, beluga whales, walruses and snowy owls.
Climate change now poses the greatest threat, with rapid ice melt potentially raising sea levels dramatically. Aside from that, the park remains relatively untouched thanks to its extreme remoteness.
Humans do venture in, however. Researchers conduct scientific surveys, and adventurous tourists occasionally explore its wilderness. Regular access is limited mainly to sealers and whalers from Ittoqqortoormiit, one of Greenland’s most isolated settlements.
7 Named By Vikings
The origin of Greenland’s name is shrouded in legend, but most historians credit the Vikings – specifically Erik the Red – with christening the island. According to saga, Erik was banished from Iceland after a murder conviction and stumbled upon the icy shore of Greenland.
While Erik likely wasn’t the first human to set foot there, he was the first permanent settler and survived for several years. When his exile ended, he sought to lure more colonists. To make the harsh landscape sound appealing, he dubbed it “Greenland,” painting a picture of fertile prospects.
Alternative theories suggest the “green” portion might be a mistranslation. Some scholars argue the original name could have been “Gruntland,” which would translate to “ground land” rather than a verdant oasis.
6 Largest And Best‑Preserved Pre‑Columbus Building Remains In The Americas
Greenland also boasts the Hvalsey Church, a relic from the early 14th century and the most intact pre‑Columbian European structure still standing in the Americas. Of the roughly ten‑to‑fourteen churches erected by early settlers, Hvalsey stands out for its size and preservation.
The church once featured two stone halls flanked by fourteen nearby stone dwellings, suggesting a sizable community of skilled masons was brought to the Hvalsey Fjord. Massive granite blocks, some exceeding five tonnes, were carefully selected and set in place.
Architectural details such as unusually wide interior windows compared to exterior openings hint at British influences, leading scholars to suspect Scottish masons may have overseen construction rather than their Icelandic counterparts.
Unfortunately, the builders erected the church atop an existing graveyard without relocating the graves, causing the foundation to settle and walls to collapse over time. Today, the ruin serves as grazing ground for sheep, and conservation work in 1999 stabilized the remaining structure.
5 No Roads
Reaching Greenland is no walk in the park. There is no regular international ferry service, so most visitors fly in. Only four cities worldwide maintain direct routes: Reykjavik, Keflavik and Akureyri in Iceland, plus Copenhagen in Denmark.
Once ashore, travelers find an even tougher logistical puzzle. The island lacks inter‑town roads, railways, and inland waterways. Transportation relies on helicopters, small aircraft, boats, and, in some regions, traditional dogsleds.
The sheer distances and natural barriers – massive ice fields and deep fjords – mean most travel occurs by air. Kangerlussuaq, in western Greenland, operates as the primary hub, offering an extensive network of domestic flights to remote settlements.
4 Ice Golf World Championship
Since 1997, the World Ice Golf Championship has taken place annually in Uummannaq, a town perched 600 km (373 mi) north of the Arctic Circle with a population of roughly 1,300. This venue holds the title of the world’s northernmost golf course, which is freshly laid out each year on a slab of sea ice.
The course is framed by slow‑moving glaciers and towering icebergs. The competition runs in March, when temperatures can plunge to –25 °C (‑13 °F). Yet the icy conditions haven’t deterred golfers from around the globe; both professionals and amateurs compete, though the field is capped at 36 participants.
Enthusiasts of unconventional sports have embraced the event, noting that while the course is shorter and the holes larger, the orange ball and white “green” deliver a genuine golfing experience, just set against a spectacular frozen backdrop.
3 Midnight Sun
The midnight Sun is a summer marvel that only occurs north of the Arctic Circle (and south of the Antarctic Circle). During this period, the Sun never truly sets, bathing the landscape in continuous daylight for 24 hours a day, erasing the line between night and day.
The Arctic Circle marks the threshold for this phenomenon. Each year, the Circle itself experiences a fleeting half‑hour of midnight Sun, while the opposite effect—polar night—occurs on the opposite side of the planet.
Further north, the effect stretches longer. In Ilulissat, locals enjoy more than two months of perpetual daylight, while in Qaanaaq the Sun remains above the horizon for a full three and a half months. Even towns south of the Circle, like Nanortalik, report up to 20 hours of sunlight per day during summer.
2 Abundance Of Gems And Minerals
Climate change, while presenting challenges, also reveals a silver lining for Greenland’s economy. As the thick ice sheets recede, they expose a treasure trove of minerals, metals, and precious gemstones. Angel Mining, the island’s first mining enterprise, began operations in 2010.
Official figures from 2017 show 56 active licences covering gold, ruby, diamond, nickel, copper and other valuable resources. Since 2013, the Greenlandic parliament has lifted its ban on uranium mining, paving the way for a potential fifth‑largest uranium mine worldwide.
Bluejay Mining plans a massive operation in the former settlement of Dundas, home to the planet’s richest ilmenite deposit – a mineral used to produce titanium dioxide, a key pigment in paints and personal‑care products like toothpaste.
Some companies have already capitalized on Greenlandic gemstones. In November 2018, Danish jeweler Hartmann’s launched a full collection featuring roughly 300 carats of Greenlandic rubies and pink sapphires.
1 World’s Highest Suicide Rate
On a somber note, Greenland holds the grim distinction of having the highest suicide rate on the planet, averaging 83 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants each year. For perspective, the United States recorded 13.7 per 100,000 in 2016, while Guyana – the country with the highest rate among sovereign nations – posted 30.2 per 100,000.
It’s important to note that Greenland, as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, isn’t a separate country, which is why Guyana retains the title for nations.
Given its tiny population of under 57,000, the statistic translates to a heartbreaking reality: virtually every resident knows someone who has taken their own life. The harsh climate and perpetual darkness, however, aren’t the sole culprits.
The shift began when fish‑processing factories emerged, prompting many to abandon their tiny villages for employment. One such hamlet, Kangeq, dwindled from about 150 residents to just 50‑60 by 1974.
The Danish government, seeking efficiency, cut power to Kangeq and effectively erased it from maps, opting instead to concentrate services – like health clinics and schools – in larger towns such as Nuuk.
This forced migration sparked a cultural clash. Inuit families, accustomed to hunting and a close‑knit community, found themselves in concrete apartment blocks that felt alien. Many hunted seals in Nuuk’s harbor, dragging their catch on sleds to cramped flats, while Danish‑speaking youths seemed to enjoy educational advantages over their Greenlandic‑speaking peers.
Psychologists point to a contagion effect: when a close friend or family member dies by suicide, the risk for those around them rises sharply. Numerous clusters have been documented, especially in isolated settlements.
In Tasiilaq, the town with the highest local rate – exceeding 400 suicides per 100,000 – there isn’t even a resident psychologist. Experts estimate it could take two decades to address underlying issues such as unemployment, poverty, child neglect, and alcoholism before the crisis eases.