Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is situated at the point, where the Atlantic meets the Arctic Ocean, which means that Greenland is surrounded by cold ocean currents, so the coasts are constantly cooled.

These cold ocean currents together with the radiation of cold from the inland ice give Greenland the arctic climate. The inland ice covers 1 833 900 square kilometres, which is about 85 percent of the Greenland’s total area.

Greenland is often associated with cold and darkness. It can get very cold and the polar darkness often reigns, but it is never totally dark and there is plenty of light.

Greenland enjoys more hours of summer than anywhere down south, but the weather is nowhere near as warm. The light is very intense and it is possible for your face and neck to turn a beautiful shade of brown.

The richest plant growth is found in the sub arctic belt, which includes the very southernmost part of Greenland and the inner fiords. The greater part of Greenland has diverse mountain vegetation similar to northern Scandinavia and in driest inland areas have vegetation like the mountain regions of central North America.

The name Greenland comes from Erik the Red who was exiled from Iceland for murder. He along with his family set out in ships to find the new land. After settling there he named the land Greenland to attract more people to settle there.

People in Greenland

People have lived on Greenland for about 5 000 years. The first settlers migrated from North America and were the first to successfully adapt to the island's severe conditions. According to the oldest myths and legends of Greenland’s modern day Inuit people are derived from another migration known as Dorset. Thule people, who are closely related to the Inuit, arrived in about 900 AD, just before the first Norsemen began settling on the eastern and southern coasts.

Greenland has a population of 56 361. Today, about 80 percent of the people in Greenland are Inuit and the rest are Danish. The majority of the population is Evangelical Lutheran. Nearly all Greenlanders live along the fiords in the southwest of the main island, because the climate is relatively mild there.

Culture in Greenland

The culture of Greenland is closely connected with Inuit tradition, because the majority of inhabitants are Inuit origin. For millennia the philosophy was to live at one with nature. The hunters live with nature and follow the natural seasons. Hunting is iconic to their culture and most Greenlanders still hunt at least part-time to supplement their diet and provide skins for clothing and kayaks.

In the south of Greenland there are ruins from Viking settlers 1 000 years ago and they are well preserved.

The symbols of the ancient culture are still alive even in the larger towns. Many people build and use their own kayak. The old drum dance is performed by a growing number of artists and the music and storytelling is based on myths and sagas passed down by word of mouth through the generations.

Recent history of Greenland

A Norwegian priest Hans Egede organized a successful expedition to Greenland in 1721. This expedition was supported by Danish and it was the beginning of the colonial age, which lasted until the constitutional amendment of 1953. Since 1953, Greenland has a home-rule government under normal Danish rule and Greenland (like the Faroe Islands) became entitled to send two representatives to Danish Parliament. Moreover, as Danish citizens, the Greenlanders acquired ordinary civic rights and their general state of health and educational facilities was radically improved.

What to do in Greenland

All along the coast of Greenland lie many small fishing villages and coastal towns that slumber peacefully for most of the year. They wake up only to come alive with festivities during the summer months. In addition to the local harbour and summer festivals, a variety
of establishments around the island offer live music, including jazz, rock, pop and other entertainments as well as traditional church concerts. There are plenty of beautiful old churches that are worth to visit.