Greenland
| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
Nuuk (Godthab) |
|
Borders |
(N/A) |
|
Government type |
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy |
|
Population |
57,600 (July 2010 est.)[1] |
|
Population growth % |
0.062% (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
70.07 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
6.8% (2007 est.)[1] |
Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.[1]
Economical characteristics
- Currency: Danish krone (ISO code: DKK)
- This country does not seem to have a central bank.
Statistics
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[2] | 1 132 | 1 068 | 1 086 | 1 169 | 1 426 | 1 645 | 1 703 | 1 919 | 2 197 | |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[3] | ||||||||||
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[4] | ||||||||||
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[5] | ||||||||||
| Debt to revenue (years) |
References
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 CIA - The World Factbook. "Greenland", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-09-28.
- ↑ World Bank. "Greenland: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
- ↑ World Bank. "Greenland: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
- ↑ World Bank. "Greenland: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
- ↑ World Bank. "Greenland: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-28.
Links
- Greenland on Wikipedia
- BBC country profile
- Why is Greenland so rich these days? It said goodbye to the EU by Alex Singleton, November 2010
