Page 31 - SST Class 05

5 Greenland : The

Land of Ice

Ice and I

Of the total water available on the earth, only about 3.54% is freshwater which we can use. Of this, about
68.7% water is stored in the form of ice on the poles and high mountains. This water keeps melting and we
get it through rivers. Thus, ice is very important for our life as it is a major source of freshwater.

Of the three climatic zones, the Frigid Zone is the coldest on the earth because of the
sunlight being very slanting. This zone is located within the two circles around the
poles, so it is also called the polar region . Many parts of the region are permanently

covered with ice. The northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America are located in
the North Frigid Zone. Greenland, the largest island in the world, is also located here.
Antarctica is located in the South Frigid Zone, but it is dry, icy, windy and cold, so no
one other than a few scientists and tourists live there.

In this lesson, we shall study Greenland.

Greenland

Location

Greenland is located in the continent of

North America and is the third largest
territory (country) in North America. It is
located very close to the North Pole, at a
distance of just about 650 kilometres. It is
an autonomous province of Denmark.
Greenland is only 16 kilometres from
Canada. Its total area is about 21,75,600
square km. Cape Morris Jesup , the

northern-most point of land in the world,
is located in this island. Not to scale

Location of Greenland

Greenland : The Land of Ice 31