Explore Greenland’s history and the connections linking Greenland, Denmark, and the United States.
For 225 years, the United States has enjoyed an unbroken diplomatic bond with Denmark, longer than with any other nation. This friendship has supported economic, cultural, and military partnerships through many decades.
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, Denmark was among the first allies to answer the call. Danish forces deployed to Afghanistan alongside Americans. The cost was steep; Denmark lost more soldiers per capita than any other NATO member.
Greenland has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for centuries. This relationship has been recognized by US administrations, the United Nations, and international law for decades.
As a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenlanders hold the power to chart their own course.
For more than 80 years, Denmark, Greenland, and the United States have had a successful security partnership in the Arctic. This history of friendship offers a foundation on which to address security challenges in the Arctic as partners and allies.
Population: Approximately 57,000 people (2024)
Size: 836,330 square miles — roughly three times the size of Texas, or about the same as Mexico
Geography: World’s largest island; 80% covered by ice sheet; located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans
Capital: Nuuk (population approximately 19,000)
Main cities: Nuuk, Sisimiut, Ilulissat, Qaqortoq — most settlements accessible only by boat, helicopter, or plane
Languages: Kalaallisut (Greenlandic), Danish, English
Status: Autonomous territory (since 2009) within the Kingdom of Denmark
Economy: Fishing industry, tourism, mineral exploration; receives annual subsidy from Denmark
Climate change is deeply affecting both the traditional Inuit lifestyle in Greenland — disrupting ice-dependent culture and mobility — and contributing to global environmental changes with consequences far beyond the Arctic.
Watch this video of Nauja Bianco's talk at the Nordic Innovation Summit held by the National Nordic Museum in 2025. Nauja Bianco is a Greenlandic expert in security and Nordic geopolitics.
A poll of Greenlanders conducted between January 16 and 28, 2026, found that 62% of respondents do not want to leave the Kingdom of Denmark and become independent now. Only 25% wish for independence now, and 13 % are undecided. When asked if it would be an advantage for Greenland to join the US, only 8% said yes while 76% said no.
The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs announced the opening of the new French Consulate in Greenland. Consul General Jean-Noël Poirier took office on February 6, 2026. The commitment to open a consulate in Greenland was first made by French President Macron in June 2025.
In mid-January 2026 a new Canadian Consulate began its operations in Nuuk. The official opening took place on February 6. This article describes the consulate’s priorities, including Arctic emergency preparedness.
On February 6, 2026, both Canada and France opened consulate offices in Greenland. This BBC article describes the formal events and the context for this growth in diplomatic outposts. The article further describes the bonds between Greenland’s Inuit people and the Inuit in Canada who share cultural and colonial histories.
The Museum of Danish America features an online exhibition that shares the history of Greenland and its people over more than a thousand years. Through an illustrated timeline and focused information about culture and current events, this online exhibition offers a comprehensive view of Greenland and its place in transatlantic relations.
This open letter is signed by 230 American scientists (as of January 25, 2026) who assert and support Greenland’s right to self-governance. The joint statement is followed by personal messages from scientists who signed the statement, sharing their experiences of cooperation with and appreciation for the people of Greenland.
The National Museum is Greenland’s largest museum of cultural history. It safeguards and promotes the history of Greenland, and its collections come from all over the country. The website provides a wealth of information about the history and cultures of Greenland’s people. Accessible in English, Danish, and Kalaallisut languages.
Article in the Fall 2025 edition of Scandinavian Review (American Scandinavian Foundation) by Gordon F. Sander, a journalist, historian and photographer who has been writing about the Nordic and Baltic region since 1990. A long-time contributor to the Scandinavian Review, he also writes for The New York Review of Books and The Washington Post. Sander is the author of nine books, including several works of Nordic history, including “The Finnish Front Line: Kekkonen, Kennedy, and Krushchev’s Cold War Showdown,” which was published in 2025 by Cornell University Press.
Article shared with permission from the American Scandinavian Foundation.
The USA-DK Alliance is a network of US-based organizations who are united by a shared commitment to sustaining strong cross-cultural relations between the US and Denmark. Grounded in decades of mutual respect, the alliance promotes respectful dialogue and fact-based knowledge exchange, so we can stand together and strengthen our enduring bilateral bond.