Population: 56,375 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Nuuk (Godthab)

Languages: Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran

Government: parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Climate: arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

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

Geography: 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

Ethnic groups: Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (January 2000)

Economy: The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly-owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and minerals exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs.

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2001 est.)

GDP real growth: 1.8% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10% (2000 est.)

Internet country code: .gl

Dial code: +299