Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
note: named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 in order to entice settlers to the island

Dependency status:
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Government type:
parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut)

Capital:
name: Nuuk (Godthaab)
geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: Greenland has four time zones

etymology: "nuuk" is the Inuit word for "cape" and refers to the city's position at the end of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord

Administrative divisions:
5 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq
note: Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni Nuna Eqqissisimatitaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly

Independence:
none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland)

National holiday:
National Day, June 21; note - marks the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere

Constitution:
history: previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act)

Legal system:
the laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas

Citizenship:
see Denmark

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011)
head of government: Premier Kim KIELSEN (since 30 September 2014)
cabinet: Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term
election results: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8%

Legislative branch:
description: unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms
elections: Greenland Parliament - last held on 24 April 2018 (next to be held by 2022)
Greenland members to Danish Parliament -  last held on 5 June 2019(next to be held by 4 June 2023)
election results: Greenland Parliament percent of vote by party - S 27.2%, IA 25.5%, D 19.5%, PN 13.4%, A 5.9%, SA 4.1%, NQ 3.4% other 1%; seats by party - S 9, IA 8, D 6, PN 4, A 2, SA 1, NQ 1; composition - men 19, women 12, percent of women 38.7%

Greenland members in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - IA 1, S 1; composition - 2 women

Judicial branch:
highest courts: High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors); note - appeals beyond the High Court of Greenland can be heard by the Supreme Court (in Copenhagen)
judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70
subordinate courts: Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders:
Cooperation Party (Suleqatigiissitsisut or Samarbejdspartiet) or SA [Michael ROSING]
Democrats Party (Demokraatit) or D [Niels THOMSEN]
Forward Party (Siumut) or S [Kim KIELSEN]
Inuit Community (Inuit Ataqatigiit) or IA [Sara OLSVIG]
Our Country's Future (Nunatta Qitornai) or NQ [Vittus QUJAUKITSOQ]
Signpost Party (Partii Naleraq) or PN [Hans ENOKSEN]
Fellowship Party (Atassut) or A [Siverth Karl HEILMANN]

International organization participation:
Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); note - Greenland has an office in the Danish Embassy in the US; it also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white; the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as those of the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark

National symbol(s):
polar bear; national colors: red, white

National anthem:
name: "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit" ("Our Country, Who's Become So Old" also translated as "You Our Ancient Land")
lyrics/music: Henrik LUND/Jonathan PETERSEN
note: adopted 1916; the government also recognizes "Nuna asiilasooq" as a secondary anthem