Greenland (Capital: Nuuk)
Denmark’s Prime Minister has called for increased Arctic defence collaboration, firmly dismissing US desire to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Political Features
- Location: In the North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland is the world’s largest island.
- Neighboring countries: Its nearest neighbor is Canada’s Ellesmere Island, which is located 16 miles to the north; Iceland is its nearest European neighbor.
Geographical Features
- Two-thirds of Greenland lies above the Arctic Circle.
- Arctic climate sustains the island’s massive ice sheet, which covers about 80 percent of the island.
- The Ice Sheet is the second largest in the world after the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
- Significance: Strategic location for Arctic geopolitics (US has a base), Future Trans-Arctic Shipping, large deposits of rare earth elements (REEs), oil and gas, fresh water source, fisheries etc.