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Full country name: Greenland (Grønland) or Kalaallit Nunaat (local name)
Area: 2,175,600 sq km (848,484 sq mi); estimated 341,600 sq km ice-free, 1,834,000 sq km ice-covered
Population: 60,000
Capital city: Nuuk (Godthåb) (pop. 14,000)
People: 87% Greenlander, 13% Danish and others
Language: Eskimo dialects, Danish, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect)
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran, shamanism
Government: Self-governing Dannish territory since 1979
Head of State: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
Prime Minister: Jonathan Motzfeldt

GDP: US$1 billion
GDP per head: US$16,100
Annual growth: 0.6%
Inflation: 0.6%
Major industries: fish processing (mainly shrimp), handicrafts, furs, small shipyards, tourism
Major trading partners: EU (esp. Denmark), Iceland, Japan, Norway, USA
Member of EU: no

Events

The biggest event on the Greenlander calendar is the celebration that marks the end of the polar night. This usually takes place sometime in January or February. Come March the capital city, Nuuk, hosts an international snow-sculpture festival, while Uummannaq fjord provides one of the wackiest events for those of you who think golf is a proper game - The World Ice Golf Championships. You'll hear cries of 'Fjord!' instead of 'Fore!'.

In early April, Sisimiut kicks off what is billed as the world's toughest ski race, with three days of skiing in Arctic conditions. Around Easter, villages north of the Arctic Circle hold dogsled races, and the Festival of Art and Music takes place in Qaqortoq in late June/early July, close to the time of the Nuuk Marathon. Every three to four years, Greenland hosts the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, a weeklong forum for the discussion of cultural and social issues. Visitors are always welcomed into both the discussions and the exhibitions. The other large festival is Aasivik, a cultural and political forum that usually takes place mid-July and showcases traditional theatre, drum dances, folk music, and in recent years, Greenlandic rock music.

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: Citizens of Nordic countries require only an identification card; citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, the US and EU countries require a valid passport but no visa for a maximum stay of 90 days. Most other countries require a visa.
Health risks: Hypothermia, runny noses, Fata Morgana
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours (three hours in summer)
Electricity: 220v, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric

If you think bone-chilling weather and long arctic nights when the sun don't shine is not for you, then aim to be there sometime during the summer months: mid-July to the first week in September. This is feel-good time for Greenlanders; the days are long, the tundra is a riot of wild flowers and red berries and there is a general feeling of well being and contentment throughout the land. The trade off for these fabulous Arctic summers is mind-bending plagues of mosquitoes that sting all the way through late June to early August. If you stay on until October, you'll get a ringside seat for the aurora borealis, although the lights can appear as early as August. Just about all Greenlandic festivals and events occur in the summer months. Going in the harsh winter months between December, January and February is just not a good idea unless you're a scientist studying seasonal effects, or a masochist, or both.