About Greenland

Bjørneøer, Greenland

Before I share our trip to Greenland, let's spend a minute getting to know this lovely country.

The world's largest island, Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It shares a small less-than-a-mile-long border with Canada on Hans Island, but is otherwise separate from any other country. The capital and largest city is Nuuk, which is on the west cost far from where we visited. 

Where Greenland sits in the world; Map: Every CRS Report

Although an autonomous territory located in North America, Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, making Greenlanders citizens of Denmark, which makes them citizens of the EU even though Greenland is not part of the EU. Confused yet? 

By land mass, Greenland is the largest of Denmark’s holdings, followed by Denmark proper and the Faroe Islands.

A dramatic comparison; Chart: MyLifeElsewhere.com

Economically, Greenland is heavily reliant on aid from Denmark, which averages about 20 percent of the territory's gross domestic product. 

Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by circumpolar peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now Canada. 

Immikkeertikajik, site of a prehistoric settlement

According to the Icelandic Sagas, Norwegian Viking Erik the Red was exiled from Iceland with his father, Thorvald, who had committed manslaughter. With his extended family and his thralls (slaves or serfs), he set out in ships to explore an icy land known to lie to the northwest. After finding a habitable area and settling there in around 986, he named it Grœnland (translated as "Greenland”), hoping that the pleasant name would attract settlers. An early marketeer! 

Erik the Red; Illustration: Viking Heritage

Although Erik is often credited with "discovering" Greenland, it was discovered more than 100 years earlier by a Norwegian sailor named Gunnbjorn Ulfsson. Erik was not even the first Viking to try and colonize the island, only the first to succeed.

Landing in Greenland; Reenactment photo: Viking Heritage

Erik formed three settlements: Eastern, Western and Middle -- on fjords near the southwestern tip of the island (far from where we went), sharing the land with indigenous people from the late Dorset culture, who occupied the northern and western parts, and later with those of the Thule culture who entered from the north. 

Norse ruins believed to be Erik's farm, Brattahlið. Photo: Mariners' Museum, Virginia

Norse Greenlanders submitted to Norwegian rule in 1261 under the Kingdom of Norway, which then entered into a union with Denmark in 1380, and from 1397 was a part of the Kalmar Union. 

Except for some runic inscriptions, the only records that survive from the Norse settlements are of their contact with Iceland or Norway. 

Runestone of Kingittorsuaq; Photo: Wikipedia

Archaeological findings and ice-core and clam-shell data suggest that between AD 800 and 1300 the regions around the fjords of southern Greenland had a relatively mild climate that supported trees, crops and livestock. 

Norse settlements disappeared in the 15th century at the onset of the Little Ice Age. The Norse, who never numbered more than about 2,500, may have gradually abandoned the Greenland settlements over the 15th century as walrus ivory, the most valuable export from Greenland, decreased in price because of competition with other sources of higher-quality ivory. 

From the late 15th century, the Portuguese attempted to find the northern route to Asia, which ultimately led to the earliest cartographic depiction of the coastline. 

The Cantino Planisphere: Wikipedia

In the 17th century, Danish-Norwegian explorers reached Greenland again, finding their earlier settlement extinct and reestablishing a permanent Scandinavian presence. 

When Denmark and Norway separated in 1814, Greenland was transferred from the Norwegian to the Danish crown. The 1953 Constitution of Denmark ended Greenland's status as a colony, integrating it fully into the Danish state. 

In the 1979 Greenlandic home rule referendum, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland. 

Greenland adopted its flag in 1985

In the 2008 Greenlandic self-government referendum, Greenlanders voted for the Self-Government Act that transferred more power from the Danish government to the local Naalakkersuisut (Greenlandic government). Under this structure, Greenland gradually assumed responsibility for governmental services and areas of competence. The Danish government retains control of citizenship, monetary policy, security policies and foreign affairs. 

With the melting of the ice due to global warming, its abundance of mineral wealth and its strategic position between Eurasia, North America and the Arctic zone, Greenland holds strategic importance for Denmark, NATO and the European Union. Since 2025, Donald Trump has pursued threats to annex Greenland, triggering the unrest and disputes with NATO. 

Here's how Greenlamders feel about that

The country is socially progressive; education and healthcare are free, and LGBTQ rights in Greenland are some of the most extensive in the world. Two-thirds of its electricity production comes from renewable energy, mostly from hydropower. 

Remote locations such at Ittoqqortoormiit rely on diesel that arrives by ship

The name of the territory in the Greenlandic language is Kalaallit Nunaat (“land of the Kalaallit”). 

Greenlanders are primarily descended from the Thule culture, which migrated eastward from Alaska around 1000 AD, reaching Greenland around 1300 (notable that this is one of the few places where the Inuit came after the Caucasions). The Thule were the first to introduce the hunting technologies still used today, including dog sleds and toggling harpoons. 

Chart: The Atlas Bookshelf

In 1605-1607, King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway sent a series of expeditions to Greenland and Arctic waterways to locate the lost eastern Norse settlement and assert Danish-Norwegian sovereignty over Greenland. 

The expeditions were mostly unsuccessful, partly due to leaders who lacked experience with the difficult Arctic ice and weather conditions, and partly because the expedition leaders were given instructions to search for the Eastern Settlement on the east coast of Greenland just north of Cape Farewell, which is almost inaccessible due to southward drifting ice. The pilot on all three trips was English explorer James Hall. 

Treacherous conditions (this is Borgvig on our snowy day)

After the Norse settlements died off, the Inuit prevailed, but the Danish-Norwegian government never forgot or relinquished claims to Greenland it had inherited from the Norse. When it re-established access to Greenland in the early 17th century, Denmark-Norway asserted its sovereignty. 

In 1721, a joint mercantile and clerical expedition led by missionary Hans Egede was sent to Greenland, not knowing whether a Norse civilization remained there. After 15 years in Greenland, Hans Egede left his son, Paul, in charge of the mission there and returned to Denmark, where he established a Greenland Seminary. The colony was centered at Godthåb ("Good Hope," today's Nuuk). Gradually, Greenland was opened up to Danish merchants but closed to those from other countries. 

The church in Ittoqqortoormiit

When the union between the crowns of Denmark and Norway was dissolved in 1814, Norway's former colonies were left under the Danish control. Norway still occupied uninhabited eastern Greenland as Erik the Red's Land until the Permanent Court of International Justice granted the east to Denmark in 1933. 

After Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II, the United States occupied Greenland until 1945 to defend against a possible German invasion. Until then, Greenland had been very isolated. Because Denmark believed that it would be exploited or even eradicated if opened up, the Danish government maintained a strict monopoly of Greenlandic trade, allowing no more than small scale barter trading with British whalers. In wartime, Greenland became self-reliant through self-government and independent communication with the outside world. 

Political cartoon by Herb Block; Ivittuut cryolite mine, vital to the US military in WWII

Here’s some déjà vu: The United States offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million in 1946 (equivalent to $1.7 billion today). Denmark firmly rejected the offer, as the island was seen as an integral part of the Danish kingdom, important to its history and national identity. 

In 1951, Denmark and the United States signed the Greenland Defense Agreement, which allowed the United States to keep military bases in Greenland, and to establish new bases or "defense areas" if Denmark agreed and if deemed necessary by NATO. The US military could freely use and move between these defense areas, but was not to infringe upon Danish sovereignty in Greenland. 

Honored until recently; Photo: CNN

In 1953, Greenland become a modern welfare state, with Denmark as sponsor and the trade monopoly was abolished. Danish citizenship was extended to Greenlanders and Denmark instituted a cultural assimilation strategy. 

The Danish government promoted exclusive use of the Danish language in official matters and required Greenlanders to go to Denmark for their post-secondary education. Many Greenlandic children grew up in boarding schools in southern Denmark, often losing their cultural ties to their homeland. 

Greenlandic children sent alone to Denmark meet the Danish queen; Photos: The Current

While the policies "succeeded" by shifting Greenlanders from being primarily subsistence hunters to being urbanized wage earners, the country began to reassert a Greenlandic cultural identity and launched a Greenlandic independence campaign, which reached its peak in the 1970s. 

The Home Rule Act of 1979 gave Greenland limited autonomy, with its own legislature taking control of some internal policies, while the Parliament of Denmark maintained full control of external policies, security and natural resources. In 1985, Greenland left the European Economic Community (EEC), because it did not agree with the EEC's commercial fishing regulations and ban on sealskin products. 

Current Greenlandic Parliament; Photo: Reuters

As in Denmark, Greenland has free education and healthcare. In 1987, the University of Greenland was founded to provide Greenlanders with higher education in their own language and country. 

In 2009, Greenland gained self-rule with provisions for assuming responsibility for self-government of its judicial affairs, policing matters and natural resources. 

Cultural Presenter Lana Bendtsen, a native Greenlander, telling us about her country

Also, Greenlanders were recognized as a separate people under international law and Greenlandic was declared the sole official language. Denmark maintains control of the territory's foreign affairs and defense and provides financial support. As Greenland begins to collect revenues from its natural resources, this support will gradually diminish, which is considered to be a step toward eventual full independence. Greenland does not have its own military, but is protected by the Danish military and the NATO military alliance. 

Greenlandic Geography 

Greenland lies between latitudes 59°N and 83°N and longitudes 11°W and 74°W, with over 80 percent of its land mass north of the Arctic Circle. 

Greenland's position; map: Google Maps

It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Greenland Sea to the east, the North Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, the Davis Strait to the southwest, Baffin Bay to the west and the Nares Strait and Lincoln Sea to the northwest. 

The total area is 836,330 square miles including offshore minor islands. While it's big, it is not as huge as you may think it is. That's because the mercator map spreads land masses at the poles to change a 3-D sphere into a 2D flat map.

Significant distortions; Map: Neil R. Kaye

So, it's really about a third the size of the US.

Real size; Map: Guide to Greenland

The Greenland Ice Sheet covers 81 percent of the country.The ice flows generally to the coast from the center of the island through an astonishing number of glaciers. Below the ice is a series of canyons, the biggest called Greenland's Grand Canyon, which was formed by flowing rivers of water from the repeated cycle of ice melting and new ice forming. Coastal elevations rise suddenly and steeply. 

Greenland has about 733 named glaciers; this is Sefstrøm Glacier (I think)

Those glaciers have carved Greenland's coastline into a rugged series of  steep cliffs, bays and deep fjords. 

Bjørneøer in Scoresby Sund

A fjord is a long, narrow, deep sea inlet with steep, U-shaped valley walls carved by glaciers. Common in high-latitude regions, they are typically characterized by shallow mouths and deep, inner basins. Greenland has the longest fjord system in the world, Scoresby Sund, at 219 miles. The deepest fjord in Greenland is also Scoresby, at 4,760 feet, but Anarctica's Skelton Inlet has that beat at 6,342 feet.

Alpefjord

The highest point in Greenland, at 12,100 feet, is Gunnbjørn Fjeld in the Watkins/East Greenland Range. The majority of Greenland, however, is less than 4,900 feet in elevation. 

The mountains on the eastern coast seem tall because they rise directly from the sea

The lowest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere was recorded near the summit of the Greenland ice sheet in December 1991 when it reached −93.3 °F.

Our midday temperatures ranged from 39 °F to 48 °F; Chart: Ocean Explorer

All Greenlandic towns and settlements are on the ice-free coast, with the population concentrated along the west coast. The northeastern part of Greenland is not part of any municipality and is the site of the world's largest National Park, Northeast Greenland National Park.

We visited the Park (this is Maria island), but there were no visitor centers or rangers

At least four scientific expedition stations and camps had been established on the ice sheet in the ice-covered central part of Greenland: Eismitte, North Ice, North GRIP Camp and Raven Skiway. 

The year-round station, Summit Camp on the ice sheet, was established in 1989. A communications station at Jørgen Brønlund Fjord was, until 1950, the northernmost permanent outpost in the world. The extreme north of Greenland, Peary Land, is not covered by an ice sheet because the air there is too dry to produce snow, which is essential in the production and maintenance of ice.

Peary Land; Photo: Bo Elberling

The northernmost point of land on Earth is Kaffeklubben Island (latitude 83° 39′ 45″ N), which was first recorded in 1900 and first visited in 1921. It was named by Danish explorer Lauge Koch after a coffee club meeting at the Geological Museum in Copenhagen.

Kaffeklubben is Danish for Coffee Club; Photo: Britannica

The Greenland ice sheet continually loses some mass from ice calving at its coasts, but this used to be balanced by the accumulation of snowfall. However, Greenland has been warming since around 1900 and the losses have been greater than the gains since the 1980s. In the 2010s, the Greenland ice sheet melted at its fastest rate for at least the past 12,000 years and it is on track to exceed that later in the 21st century.

 

Icebergs and brash at Warming Island; Scratches show glacier recession

In 2012, 2019 and 2021, "massive melting events" occurred when practically the entire surface of the ice sheet was melting and no accumulation took place. During the 2021 event, rain fell at Greenland's highest point for the first time in recorded history, an event so unexpected that the research station at the summit had no rain gauges for the occasion.

Much of this rock was completely covered not long ago; Photo: Scott Stevens

As with the ice loss elsewhere in the world, Greenland's melting contributes to sea level rise. Between 2012 and 2017, the Greenland melting added an average of 0.027 inches per year, equal to 37 percent of sea level rise from land ice sources. Meltwater dilutes key Atlantic currents, slowing them down and, in the future, may collapse the currents completely.

Greenland's ice sheet has a volume of 700,000 cubic miles, which, if completely melted, would raise global sea level by about 25 feet. It will take at least 1,000 years for the ice sheet to disappear even with very high rates of global warming and around 10,000 years under lower rates of warming. 

The southern part of the ice sheet from the air

Greenland is geologically fascinating, with colorfully layered rock faces, sharply carved peaks and the world's oldest rocks, such as Greenlandite, formed 3.8 billion years ago. 

Dramatic rocks, Warming Island

Greenland's coast is, to say the least, rugged, with steep peaks and many fjords. I have no idea how many fjords we actually traversed since smaller fjords branch off bigger fjords. The ones in Greenland are wider than the ones we saw in Norway and Iceland, so you feel more like you are in open ocean.

Blomsterbugten on Kejser Franz Joseph Fjord

Greenlandic Flora and Fauna

Greenland is home to two ecoregions: Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra and Kalaallit Nunaat low arctic tundra.

 Left: Scott on the tundra; Right tundra photo: Scotty Sinton

There are approximately 700 known species of insects in Greenland, which is low compared with other countries (over one million species have been described worldwide). I don't recall seeing a single one. But, we were there at the very end of fall and, soon, the exposed land would be covered in snow and ice. There are no native or free-living reptiles or amphibians on the island. 

The sea is rich in fish and invertebrates and a large part of the Greenland fauna is associated with marine-based food chains, including large colonies of seabirds. Once again, we were there late, so we saw very few birds besides the Northern Fulmars at sea. One of the birds I did photograph away from the open sea turned out to be an Iceland Gull. 

So, I did get my lifer

Some of our fellow travelers encountered a Rock

Ptarmigan. We heard one, but didn't see it. We did see more Fulmars and a few Ducks.

I am sorry I missed it; Photo: Fellow traveler

The few native land mammals in Greenland include: 

Polar Bear (we saw two very far away); My photos were horrible; Photo: Scotty Sinton

Reindeer, which were introduced by Europeans (all we saw were antlers at Holm Bugt)

Arctic Fox (we didn't see any; this is one I saw in Svalbard in 2019)

Arctic Hare (I saw three; others saw more); Photo: Fellow traveler

 Collared Lemming (nope for me, but one hiking group saw one); Photo: Fellow traveler

Ermine (nope on this, too); Photo: Scott Stevens from Alaska

Arctic Wolf (nope); Photo: World Wildlife Fund

Muskox (we saw some far away and some very close)

Muskox, Lemmings, Ermine and Wolves are found naturally only in East Greenland, having immigrated from Ellesmere Island. There are dozens of species of Seals, including Ringed, Bearded, Harp and Hooded. I saw only a dead one that was being used to feed sled dogs when we visited the village of Ittoqqortoormiit.

Ship's Photographer Scotty Sinton got this Seal while scouting at Holm Bugt

We didn't see any Whales, but I saw some Orcas listed on the ship's wildlife log; I suspect they were seen by the crew from the bridge. I wish we had, because Greenland has populations of Narwhal and Beluga Whale.

The Greenland Dog was introduced by the Thule people and is valuable to Greenlanders as the primary species of sled dog.

 

Greenlandic Dogs in Ittoqqortoormiit; Right photo: Scotty Sinton

I will talk about the animals we saw in future posts.

The country also has, in the more highly populated areas, European-introduced sheep, goats, cattle, horses, chickens and sheepdogs.

It's a good thing the scenery is so gorgeous because the wildlife was a bust. I suspect a mid-summer trip would be more fruitful. But, then you wouldn't see northern lights.

A good trade

When you visit eastern Greenland, the reason that wildlife is in short supply is pretty obvious: there are no plants! Well. Almost no plants.

The island is sparsely populated in vegetation; plant life consists mainly of grassland and small shrubs, which are regularly grazed by livestock in settled areas and Muskox and Reindeer in the wilds. Native trees include birch, willow, rowan and juniper.

Colorful plants; Photos: Sandesh

Where we were, these "trees" grow close to the ground, spreading like vines across the rocky ground and rarely reaching more than three inches high. 

Tiny forest; Photo: Scotty Sinton

Greenland has about 500 species of flowering plants, ferns, horsetails and lycopodiophyte mosses. As with most tundra areas, lichens are plentiful, with about 950 species. There are 600 to 700 species of fungi. 

Some of the color comes from lichen

The climate is Arctic, with long, cold winters and severe storms. Winter temperatures vary between −8.5 °F and 16.9 °F. The mean summer temperatures are below 41 °F. Precipitation is low, at about 1.2 inches per month.

Blue sky, dusted snow and some light mist

Greenland's Economy

The single most important factor in the economy is financial support from Denmark. Greenland is abundant in minerals, but extraction is limited because of the massive environmental challenges. In 2021, Greenland banned all new oil and gas exploration because of the high cost of extraction.

Lots of rock

About 80 percent of electricity is generated by hydropower, but smaller villages and towns rely on oil or diesel.

Greenland is challenging for infrastructure. There are virtually no roads between cities because coastal fjords would require investment in ferry service or tunnels, neither of which would be practical for such a small population. Very few country roads have been built because there are few farms or forestry operations to connect to. 

Ittoqqortoormiit may be the definition of remote

For these reasons, Greenland has no passenger railways. There are several coastal ferries, but the long distances lead to long travel times (the full route is 80 hours one way) and low frequency (for example, Ittoqqortoormiit gets one supply boat per year).

Air transport connects Greenland internally and with other nations. There are 13 civil airports and 43 helipads, most of which are unpaved and in rural areas. Most airports have short runways and can be served only by small aircraft on short flights. Intercontinental flights connect mainly to Copenhagen or Keflavík. Air Greenland and Icelandair provide year-round services to Greenlandic airports.

A plane over Alpefjord

Tourism in Greenland increased significantly between 2015 and 2019, with the number of visitors increasing from 77,000 per year to 105,000. This slowed dramatically in 2020 and into 2021 because of the pandemic. It stopped us from our original planned trip.

But, we finally made it! Photo: Scotty Sinton

With a population of about 60,000, Greenland is the least densely populated country in the world. 

The vast majority of the population was born in Greenland, with only 12 percent born elsewhere. Nearly all Greenlanders live along the fjords southwest of the main island, which has a relatively mild climate, especially considering its high latitude. A full third of the population lives in Nuuk, with about 10 percent living in Sisimiut and Ilulissat each and 5 percent in Qaqortoq, Aasiaat and Maniitsoq. Another four towns have less than 2,000 residents each. 

People live only on the coasts; Chart: Brilliant Maps

The population is estimated to be 89.5 percent Greenlandic Inuit, 7.5 percent Danish, 1.1 percent other Nordic and 1.9 percent other origins.

Locals in Ittoqqortoormiit; Photo: Sandesh 

The nomadic Inuit were traditionally shamanistic, with a well-developed Inuit religion primarily concerned with appeasing a vengeful and fingerless sea goddess called Sedna who controlled the success of Seal and Whale hunts. 

Sedna statue in Nuuk; Photo: Nordenbladet

The first Norse colonists worshipped the Norse gods, but Leif Erikson was converted to Christianity by King Olaf Trygvesson on a trip to Norway in 999 and sent missionaries back to Greenland. These swiftly established 16 parishes, some monasteries and a bishopric at Garðar.

Leif Erickson statue in Reykjavik; church in Ittoqqortoormiit

Rediscovering these colonists and spreading ideas of the Protestant Reformation among them was one of the primary reasons for the Danish recolonization in the 18th century. Now, the majority of the population is Protestant, mainly Church of Denmark, which is Lutheran in orientation.

As with many indigenous populations, Greenland has high suicide and alcoholism rates.

Greenlandic culture is a blending of traditional Inuit (Kalaallit, Tunumiit, Inughuit) and Scandinavian culture. Inuit, or Kalaallit, culture has a strong artistic tradition, dating back thousands of years. Arts and crafts include tupilaks, sculptures of figures of avenging monsters practiced within shaman traditions, carved mainly of from walrus ivory. We never had a chance to see or purchase any local art because we went to only one small settlement.

I 100 percent would have bought one of these; Photo: Dayne's Discoveries

The national dish of Greenland is suaasat, a soup made from seal meat, which we (fortunately) didn't get to taste. I did try some Muskox meat. I think that's enough until next time.

Suaasat and seal meat is served with mustard; Photo: Adventures of a Polarphile

About the Photos 

Most of what you see here and will see in the rest of my Greenland blogs were taken by me. If there is no credit, you can assume it's my shot. Other photos, I try to give an accurate credit, such as photos by my husband, Scott. 

Many photos (including drone shots) are by the ship's photographer, Scotty Sinton. Others are from photos submitted by fellow passengers for the expedition slide show. Since names were not provided, I credit them to "fellow traveler." Some are by Sandesh, with whom I had a few conversions onboard, but I cannot recall or never learned his last name. 

CW: Scott Stevens, fellow traveler, Scotty Sinton, fellow traveler, Sandesh

The rest, I found on the Internet or pulled from some of my files from other trips.

Next post will start the actual trip.

Warming Island

Trip dates September 5 – 28, 2025