Page 32 - SST Class 05

Greenland is divided into five municipalities. It does not have an independent seat at
the United Nations (UN).

Know It! Greenland

v Greenland was so named by a Viking explorer, Eric Status : An autonomous
the Red, in about 891 A.D. province of Denmark
Official Name : Kalaallit Nunaat
Relief Features Capital : Godthab (Nuuk)

Greenland, the largest island in the world, is Official language : Greenlandic
mostly plain, but its coastal areas have Currency : Danish krone
many low mountains. The highest point in Population : About 56,000
Greenland is Gunnbjorn Fjeld which is
Area : About 21.75 lakh sq km
about 12,139 ft high. About four-fifth area of
Flag :
Greenland is permanently covered with ice.
The thick sheet of ice is known as ice-cap .
The average thickness of the ice-cap on this

island is 1.6 km, while the thickest ice-cap
has been found to be 3.2 km thick.
The thick sheet of ice is very heavy, so its large pieces Know It!
often break off and slide into the sea. These pieces are v It was an iceberg that the

called icebergs . Only a small tip of an iceberg is visible well-known ship, the Titanic
above water, the remaining part remains under water. crashed into and sank.
They are very dangerous for the ships.

Climate

Greenland experiences extreme cold throughout the year. The average temperature is

below the freezing point. It can be as low as –47°C in the winter months. During the
winter months, the sun is mostly invisible here, so there is complete dark for many
days. During the
summer months, the
sun shines for many
days together, bringing
some relief from cold.
Even in summer, it is
far colder than what is
Ice in Greenland Walrus Polar bear
North India during the
winter.
Climate change is affecting the thick ice sheet here, which is melting faster than before.

If ice melts, the sea level will rise, drowning many coastal areas in the world.

32 Contemporary Social Science-5