Location Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

Geographic coordinates 72 00 N, 40 00 W

Map references Arctic Region

Area
total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (est.)

Area - comparative slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries 0 km

Coastline 44,087 km

Maritime claims
continental shelf: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line
territorial sea: 3 NM

Climate arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Terrain flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

Natural resources zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

Land use
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land NA sq km

Natural hazards continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

Environment - current issues protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting

Geography - note dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap

NOTE: The information regarding Greenland on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greenland Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Greenland Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.