Greenland - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Greenland, it was named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in A.D. 985 in order to entice settlers to the island. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland or Inatsisartut) type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 5 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Avannaata, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, Sermersooq
National symbols
Polar bear; national colors: red, white.
The flag
The National flag of Greenland has two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white; the design represents the sun reflecting off a field of ice; the colors are the same as those of the Danish flag and symbolize Greenland's links to the Kingdom of Denmark.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit" (Our Country, Who's Become So Old also translated as You Our Ancient Land) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Henrik LUND/Jonathan PETERSEN |
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note: adopted 1916; the government also recognizes "Nuna asiilasooq" as a secondary anthem
More about the government of Greenland
| Date of 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 |
| Legal system | the laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas |
| International law organization participation | |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) |
| Citizenship | |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King FREDERIK X of Denmark (since 14 January 2024), represented by High Commissioner Julie Praest WILCHE (since May 2022) (2024) |
| Head of government | Premier Mute B. EGEDE (since 23 April 2021) |
| Cabinet | Self-rule Government (Naalakkersuisut) elected by the Parliament (Inatsisartut) |
| Elections/appointments | the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term |
| Election results | 2021: Mute B. EGEDE elected premier; Parliament vote - Mute B. EGEDE (Inuit Ataqatigiit) unanimous 2014: 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% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote - by the d'Hondt method - to serve 4-year terms) Greenland elects 2 members to the Danish Parliament to serve 4-year terms |
| Elections | Greenland Parliament - last held on 6 April 2021 (next to be held in 2025) |
| Election results | Greenland Parliament - percent of vote by party - IA 38.7%, S 32.2%, N 12.9%, D 9.7%, A 6.5%; seats by party - IA 12, S 10, N 4, D 3, A 2; composition as of April 2024 - men 22, women 9, percentage women 29% 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Kenneth HØEGH, Head of Representation; note - Greenland also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York |
| Chancery | 3200 Whitehaven Street, NW Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 234-4300 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 328-1470 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] All Greenlandic Representations | Grønlands Repræsentation (grl-rep.dk); https://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Groenlands-repraesentation-Washington |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Consul Monica BLAND (since July 2023) |
| Embassy | Aalisartut Aqqutaa 47 Nuuk 3900 Greenland |
| Telephone | (+299) 384100 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] Homepage - U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Kingdom of Denmark (usembassy.gov) |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural); note - excerpted from the Denmark entry |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Ilulissat Icefjord (n); Kujataa, Norse and Inuit Farming (c); Aasivissuit–Nipisat, Inuit Hunting Ground (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Greenland
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Greenland
Want to know more about Greenland? Check all different factbooks for Greenland below.
