Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and
the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

72 00 N, 40 00 W

Arctic Region

total: 2,175,600 sq km
land: 2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq km
ice-covered) (est.)

slightly more than three times the size of Texas

0 km

44,087 km

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

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

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold,
platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales

arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 99% (1993 est.)

NA sq km

continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the
island

protection of the arctic environment;
preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling;
note - Greenland participates actively in Inuit Circumpolar Conference
(ICC)

dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America
and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along
coast; world's second largest ice cap