Gibraltar to Orkney

Greenland is a country without motorways or a railway system, and transport between towns is by helicopter or domestic aircraft with regular flights to and from Copenhagen, Iceland and Canada.

Greenland has a population of over 55,000, of whom 45,000 were born in Greenland. The remainder are immigrants, mainly from Denmark but a percentage are Inuit who have inhabited the island since 1000AD.

Today Greenland, like the Faroe Islands, is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is represented by two permanent members in the Danish parliament.

The language of Greenland is the eastern branch of the Eskimo language which is spoken by Inuits. Danish is widely used in matters relating to teaching, administration and business. An increasing number of young people also understand English.

The radio, press and TV use both Greenlandic and Danish. In recent years a good deal of fiction has been published in Greenlandic, whereas non-fiction is mostly in Danish.

Since 1950 Denmark has heavily subsidised Greenland each year. Shrimp fishing is the country’s predominant industry. Cod, salmon, haddock, halibut and other fish make up the remaining 20%. In order to avoid overfishing, the quotas cannot be increased. Thus many Greenlanders are unemployed while at the same time the country’s alien workers are an expensive and unsatisfactory solution.

The sports organisation GIF (Grønlands Idraets Forbund) has more than 14,000 members. Football is very popular, and in the north they play on the frozen sea in winter. Skiing, badminton, table tennis and volleyball have an increasing interest among the younger people. Handball is also played in all cities.

Medals in 2007 Games in Rhodes

Gold: 1
Silver: 2
Bronze: 0
Total: 3

Medals in 2005 Games in Shetland

Gold: 1
Silver: 2
Bronze: 3
Total: 6

Medals in 2003 Games in Guernsey

Gold: 2
Silver: 1
Bronze: 5
Total: 8