| 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:
2,175,600 sq km
land:
2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq km ice-covered) (est.)
|
| Area - comparative: |
slightly more than three times the size of Texas
|
| 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%
permanent pastures:
1%
forests and woodland:
0%
other:
99% (1998 est.)
|
| 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
|
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