The Games > Contingents > Greenland
Greenland
has been participating in the Arctic Winter Games since 1990. Greenland
hosted the event in its capital, Nuuk, for the first time in 2002. Greenland
is the most northerly of the jurisdictions involved in the Arctic Winter
Games. Considered part of North America, Greenland is the world’s largest
island. Two-thirds of the island is located above the Arctic Circle,
and approximately 85 per cent of its landmass is covered by ice. Transportation
between the island’s towns is solely by sea, air or even by dog sled
in some areas. The majority of settlements are on the southwest where
the climate is mildest.
A Viking named Eric the Red brought the first European settlers to the island in the year 986. He named the island Greenland in an effort to attract people to it. However, after the disappearance of Norse colonies in the 15th century, Greenland’s only inhabitants until 1721 were the Inuit. At that time, a Danish colony was established on the island. Greenland has been part of Denmark ever since.
Greenland’s population consists mainly of Greenlandic, a mixed race that resulted from the interaction between Inuit and Europeans, mostly Danes, beginning in the 18th century. Today, the island’s residents enjoy powers of self-government under the Danish sovereignty. Their economy is based primarily on the fishing and mining industries.
Greenland Facts
| Area | 2.175,600 sq. km |
| Population | 57,185 |
| Capital | Nuuk |
| More Information | Travel Greenland |
| Number of participants at the 2006 Arctic Winter Games | 140 |
