On our planet there are many different states that differ in language, culture and other characteristics. But there are very few of those that are located on the islands, and are either separate countries or broad autonomies. The area of Greenland allows us to consider it the largest isolated state to date, located on the largest island of our planet. But this is not the only circumstance stimulating tourists.
Basic information
Where is Greenland? Its shores are washed by two oceans at once: the Arctic and the Atlantic.
The island is located close to the Eurasian continent. Theoretically, Greenland is an integral part of Denmark, but in fact it is a large autonomy that has fairly broad rights in the field of self-government. The basic information is as follows:
- The total area of Greenland is 2,166,086 square meters. km, but of all this "we alth" only 340 thousand km₂ are suitable for life, since they have no ice.
- 57 thousand inhabitants live on the island, and 90% of them are Innuit, the "titular" nation,representatives of which have lived here since time immemorial. Therefore, the population of Greenland is quite homogeneous.
- The capital is located in a city with an unusual name for a European, Nuuk.
- Greenlandic has been the official language since 2009, before that it was complemented by Danish.
- The flag of Greenland is a red and white circle on the same background. The color scheme repeats the symbols of Denmark.
- The only official currency is the Danish krone.
If you want to call someone in Greenland the dialing code is (+299).
When was it opened?
But when was this amazing island, with its weather-friendly hospitality rivaling Antarctica, first discovered?
The first known mention dates back to 875. The Icelander Gunbjorn discovered the island. It is interesting that he only described his find, but did not leave any exact maps or other indications, since he did not go ashore. At that time, few people knew where Greenland was located, and this discovery did not arouse much interest. Times were turbulent then, the Vikings gradually conquered new territories…
Only in 982, another Icelander, Eirik Rowdy, first landed on the shores of this amazing land. It was he who gave the island its name. Thus, the active development of this area began.
Colonization of the island
In 983, the first Icelandic colonies were founded, which lasted until the middle of the 15th century! True, in fairness it is worth adding that the climate in those days was, oddly enough, milder. Therefore, Greenland was called the “green country” for a reason, because the summer lasted longer and the air temperature was higher.
So there were a lot of people who wanted to “move for permanent residence”. For four centuries (from the 13th to the 17th), this land belonged to Norway, but later went under Danish jurisdiction. In 1814, the Danes finally terminated the union (something like a unity agreement) with the Norwegians, and became the sole owners of the island. In 1953, Greenland was officially given the status of "Part of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark", but the inhabitants of the "green country" themselves do not really agree with this.
An interesting and mysterious story of the colonization of the island by the Vikings. From 983 until the middle of the 12th century they were very active, organizing many of their settlements. But then suddenly something happened, soon the settlements fell into disrepair, and the Vikings moved away from these shores. What happened?
Until recently, a lot of hypotheses were put forward, even the most absurd ones. But a few years ago, climatologists managed to lift the veil of secrecy. As mentioned earlier, from the 10th to the 11th century AD, the climate on the island was much milder, the warm period lasted longer, and in some places along the coasts, according to ancient manuscripts, even wheat ripened. Then there was a sharp cold snap, due to which the Vikings preferred to leave here.
Political management of this unrecognized country is carried out by the Parliament and the Prime Minister. In addition, the people of Greenland have the right to choose two representatives who represent the interests ofislanders in the Danish Parliament.
Official acquisition of independence
The referendum held on November 25, 2008 secured independence for this territory. The fact is that the population of the island spoke in favor of numerous and significant changes in legislation. In particular, it was then that Greenlandic became the only language, and the judicial and executive authorities acquired complete independence. Today, we can rightfully assume that the flag of Greenland is flying over an independent country. However, independence also brought negative consequences - Denmark stopped subsidizing more than $600 million annually to the island's economy.
Officially, all the provisions of the referendum came into force in mid-2009, and since then the entire area of Greenland is actually a full-fledged and relatively autonomous state. It is noteworthy that the locals do not have good relations with the European Union either.
Formally, the island is still part of Denmark, but it is not part of the EU. Since its inception, the islanders have sharply opposed the prospect of joining a united Europe. This is explained simply: most likely, Greenland in this way defends the independence of its own fish resources, which, otherwise, both Norway and Denmark could immediately claim. The political situation in these parts is quite complicated, and in some aspects even tense.
Economy and tourism
Greenland's economy today is based on fishing. Of course there is hope formining, as there are deposits of polymetallic ores on the territory of the island. But tourism, which some supporters of the complete independence of this territory rely on, is poorly developed. The main reason is the harsh climate, and the cost of the tour does not cause much enthusiasm among tourists. So Greenland is a young country, but hardened by difficulties.
Air and other transport
Kangerlussuaq is home to the largest airport in the area, based in the area of a US Air Force base during the Cold War. Despite the seeming modesty, the size of the airport is quite enough to accept even international flights.
In addition, you can get to the island using the services of ferries from the cruise company Hurtigruten. Cities in Greenland itself are also interconnected by an extensive ferry network. If you need speed, you should use the services of a small air carrier Air Greenland, which owns several aircraft and a couple of dozen transport helicopters.
Roads for cars on a huge island - nothing at all, about 150 kilometers (and even those in cities). In general, Greenland is not a car country. In total, about three thousand cars are registered here, mainly SUVs and off-road vehicles.
Major cities
Nuuk (in the distant past the city was called Gotthob) is the capital of Greenland, founded in 1728 by the Danishmissionaries. It is the largest city on the island and is the seat of the local government. Residents of this amazing place joke that the summer residence of Santa Claus is also located here. Given the location of Greenland on the map, there is a grain of truth in this statement.
Ilulissat (former name - Jakobshavn) is located on the shores of the bay with the "incendiary" name Disco. But this place is harsh, as clear water is rarely seen due to the abundance of icebergs. By the way, at least 1/10 of all icebergs that can be seen in the coastal waters of Greenland are born in these parts. Perhaps this city is perhaps the only one that can boast of a regular influx of tourists.
This is due to the unreal beauty of the local icy mountains, which attract viewers from all over the world. Many tourists only because of this and found out where Greenland is on the map.
Kangerlussuaq was founded near the glacier of the same name. It is here that the largest airport in Greenland is located. Literally in the city limits, you can constantly observe whole herds of deer. Also, polar hares and foxes are often seen on the streets. If you drive only 25 kilometers to the side, you can see the beautiful Russell Glacier.
Qaqortoq (the old name of the city sounds like Julianekhlob) was founded in 1775. More recently, not far from the city limits, archaeologists stumbled upon the remains of a Viking settlement with a church that dates back to the early tenth century. In Unartok, you can swim in hot thermal springs, as well as admire the exhibitionsculptures from local stone.
Umanak is one of the most unique settlements in these snowy regions. It lies far beyond the Arctic Circle, but at the same time there is the maximum number of bright days. From May to August, the sun does not set at all in these places, and therefore tourists have a lot of free time that can be spent on a thorough inspection of the surroundings. The small town has a wonderful museum with many artifacts about life in Greenland.
Attractions
It is easy to guess that almost all local attractions are of natural origin. For example, only here you can appreciate the size and grandeur of icebergs, one of which caused the death of the legendary Titanic. In general, Greenland is covered with ice by about 80%, and its thickness reaches three kilometers. Given that the area of Greenland in sq. km is 2,166,086, it's easy to see what a cyclopean amount of frozen snow is here!
Scientists have calculated that if only local ice melts (not to mention Antarctica), then the level of the World Ocean will rise by at least seven meters. And it seems that everything is going to this. But due to warming, scientists regularly manage to make unexpected discoveries: in 2005, researchers were able to find a new piece of land, which was called the “Hot Island”. It is located a couple of hundred kilometers from the coast of Greenland. Scientists suggest that over the past 20-30 years, the ice bridge that connected it to the island has simplymelted.
In the easternmost part of Greenland is Mount Gunnbjorn. Its peak towers over the island for more than 3.5 kilometers. And this is only the part that goes beyond the centuries-old thickness of ice! Nearby is the world's longest fjord, the Scoresby Sound. This strait bites into the thickness of the land at once for 350 kilometers!
Sermeq Kujaleq glacier. Perhaps, only for the sake of it you can visit the "green country". In 2004, UNESCO officially included this "ice" in the list of World Heritage Sites. But why such an honor? Given that the area of Greenland in sq. km is quite large, and 80% of this is ice, isn't there a lot of attention to one glacier? It turned out not, as it is really unique.
Its area is more than three thousand square kilometers, and annually more than 40 thousand cubic meters of ice breaks off from it into the waters of Disko Bay. The glacier itself looks like a grandiose river of pure ice that crawls across the surface of Greenland at a speed of about 40 centimeters per day. When the tip of the ice formation reaches Disko, the Greenland ice breaks off.
Climate in Greenland
The climate here is harsh - arctic and maritime subarctic. In the center of the island, it is replaced by arctic continental. Complexities are added by cyclones, due to which the weather can change almost instantly. Here the temperature constantly “jumps”, and the winds change direction several times an hour. Since the ice in these parts covers an area larger than the whole of Great Britain, its exorbitantgravity causes subsidence of the crust, so that the central parts of the island are 360 meters below (!) the sea surface. Therefore, Greenland, whose climate is harsh and unstable, prefers strong-willed and hardy people.
Weather performance
Winter is characterized by constant cyclones and heavy rainfall. However, the temperature is quite acceptable: in December it rarely drops to -8 °C. In January, on the coast - from -7 ° C. The situation is different at the southern tip, where temperatures of -36 °C are constantly recorded in winter. In February, the weather does not indulge at all, reaching -47 ° C (the absolute minimum is -70 ° C). Simply put, some regions of Mars are significantly warmer!
The best time to visit these parts is from May to June. If you really want winter, but temperatures below -50 degrees do not appeal, you can plan a trip for mid-April. In the spring it is simply wonderful here: there are no frosts as such, and the northern tan is guaranteed. The air temperature rarely drops below -10 °C. What will delight tourists with the largest island - Greenland - in the summer?
Also with snow, which is not rare here in June either. In summer, the weather here becomes completely unpredictable. Winds are frequent, reaching speeds of 60-70 m/s. The best time to visit the island is from mid-July to early September. The days are getting longer, and the tundra is turning into an incredibly beautiful place: millions of flowers bloom here, delicious berries appear.
Still, for what period to plan the "opening"Greenland? The answer is obvious: it all depends on the weather preferences of tourists.
