articlesforchristians

Facts about Greenland

• Geography
  • Greenland is a massive, mainly ice-covered island that stretches north from the Atlantic Ocean up to the Arctic Ocean.
  • Greenland is known for its immense glaciers.
  • Greenland, the world’s largest island, sits in the North Atlantic Ocean and is a territory of Denmark. It’s over three times bigger than Texas, with Canada’s Ellesmere Island just 16 miles (26 kilometers) to the north. Its closest European neighbor is Iceland, about 200 miles (321 kilometers) to the southeast.
  • About two-thirds of Greenland sits above the Arctic Circle, giving it a freezing climate all year long. In summer, residents enjoy 24 hours of daylight, though temperatures only climb to around 40°F (4°C). In winter, nearly constant darkness sets in, with temperatures dropping to as low as -30°F (-34°C).
  • The Arctic climate supports the island’s enormous ice sheet, a vast expanse of glacier ice that covers about 80 percent of the land. The Greenland Ice Sheet is the world’s second largest after Antarctica’s, stretching more than 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from north to south and reaching nearly 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) thick in many areas—almost a mile deep in some spots!
  • The parts of Greenland not covered in ice are blanketed by tundra, a flat, treeless expanse often swept by strong winds. Even here, ice lingers in the form of permafrost, or frozen soil, beneath much of the ground. The island’s coastline is mostly rocky—and there’s plenty of it. Stretched out like a string, it would span 24,430 miles (39,330 kilometers), nearly enough to circle the Earth at the Equator.
• NATURE
  • Greenland’s natural landscape is defined by its harsh Arctic climate, with most of its plant life found on the tundra beyond the ice sheets. The tundra is home to low-growing vegetation like dwarf birch and whortleberry, along with mosses and lichens scattered across the terrain.
  • The waters around the island are home to marine mammals like seals, walruses, and whales. On the ice sheets, you might spot polar bears, arctic foxes, wolves, reindeer, and musk oxen wandering about. Along the coast, around 230 bird species gather, including sea eagles that feast on saltwater fish such as salmon, flounder, and halibut.
  • Almost half of Greenland is preserved as the National Park of Greenland—its only national park and the largest in the world. Spanning 375,000 square miles (971,245 square kilometers), it covers most of the island’s northeastern region. The park is mainly visited by sealers and whalers from Ittoqqortoormiit, a remote town in eastern Greenland, along with a handful of scientists and military staff.