What is the capital of Greenland?
Country Name | Greenland |
Full Country Name | none |
Local - Long | none |
Local - Short | Kalaallit Nunaat |
Etymology- history of name | named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 in order to entice settlers to the island |
Government Type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) |
Capital Name | Nuuk (Godthaab) |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 64 11 N, 51 45 W |
Capital Time Difference |
UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) note: Greenland has four time zones |
Daylight Savings Time | +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Independence | none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland) |
National Holiday | National Day, June 21; note - marks the summer solstice and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere |
Constitution | previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) |
Dependency Status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 |
Who is the president of Greenland?
Executive Branch: |
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011) head of government: Premier Kim KIELSEN (since 30 September 2014) cabinet: Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut) on the basis of the strength of parties elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term election results: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 27.2%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 25.5%, Randi Vestergaard EVALDSEN (D) 19.5%, other 27.8% |
Citizenship Criteria: | see Denmark |
Legal System: | the laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
description: unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms elections: Greenland Parliament - last held on 24 April 2018 (next to be held by 2022) Greenland members to Danish Parliament - last held on 5 June 2019(next to be held by 4 June 2023) election results: Greenland Parliament percent of vote by party - S 27.2%, IA 25.5%, D 19.5%, PN 13.4%, A 5.9%, SA 4.1%, NQ 3.4% other 1%; seats by party - S 9, IA 8, D 6, PN 4, A 2, SA 1, NQ 1; composition - men 19, women 12, percent of women 38.7% Greenland members in Danish Parliament - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - IA 1, S 1; composition - 2 women |
Judicial Branch: |
highest court(s): High Court of Greenland (consists of the presiding professional judge and 2 lay assessors); note - appeals beyond the High Court of Greenland can be heard by the Supreme Court (in Copenhagen) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Court of Greenland; 18 district or magistrates' courts |
Regions or States: |
4 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Kujalleq, Qaasuitsup, Qeqqata, Sermersooq note: the North and East Greenland National Park (Avannaarsuani Tunumilu Nuna Allanngutsaaliugaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
Collabotation Party or SA (Samarbejdspartiet) [Tillie MARTINUSSEN] Democrats Party or D (Demokraatit) [Randi VESTERGAARD EVALDSEN] Forward Party or S (Siumut) [Kim KIELSEN] Inuit Community or IA (Inuit Ataqatigiit) [Sara OLSVIG] Nunatta Qitornai or NQ {Vittus QUJAUKITSOQ] Partii Naleraq or PN [Hans ENOKSEN] Solidarity Party or A (Atassut) [Siverth Karl HEILMANN] |
International Organization Participation: | Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark): note - Greenland has an office in the Danish Embassy to the US; it also has offices in the Danish consulates of Chicago and New York |
Diplomatic Representation from US: | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |