Greenland Geography
LocationNorthern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates
72 00 N, 40 00 W
Area
total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)
Area - comparative
slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
44,087 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 3 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Climate
arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
Land use
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)
Irrigated land
NA sq km
Natural hazards
continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Environment - current issues
protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting
Geography - note
dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap
