Greenland Facts

Explore Greenland’s history and the connections linking Greenland, Denmark, and the United States.

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A History of Friendship

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.

All five parties in the Parliament of Greenland oppose becoming American territory.
The vast majority of Greenlanders voted to maintain within the Danish realm.
The decision remains theirs to make.

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.

Quick Facts

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

Resources

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Analysis 0 Articles 8 Data & Maps 0 Events and Exhibitions 6 Interviews 1 Reports 1 Research 0 Statements 2 Videos 2

Arctic Science Summit Week 2026 in Aarhus

In their reflections from Arctic Science Summit Week 2026 in Aarhus, Denmark, Dr. Michelle Koutnik, Glaciology Research Faculty Member at the University of Washington College of the Environment, and Michalea King, Sr Research Scientist, share insights from one of the world's leading gatherings of Arctic researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, policymakers, and students. Their story highlights the power of international collaboration in advancing Arctic science and addressing the environmental challenges shaping our shared future.

Dr. Michelle Koutnik is the program leader for the UW Exploration of the Greenland Ice Sheet Seminar funded by Scan Design Foundation.

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Reporting from Greenland with NYT Correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman

Watch this conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and global correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman on his experiences reporting in Greenland over the past year for The New York Times, including his on-the-ground impressions and insights into the complex dynamic between competing global interests.

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Danish Originals Podcast with Rufus Gifford

From his home in Concord, Massachusetts, New England-born former US Ambassador to Denmark RUFUS GIFFORD recalls his start in politics, his ongoing connection to Denmark, and his work under Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He describes the current problematic chapter in transatlantic relationships, exemplified by the tensions with Denmark and Greenland, US politics, and his passion to help elect a transformational US leader in 2028.

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Inside Voices, Outside Light

The American-Scandinavian Foundation has announced Inside Voices, Outside Light: Perspectives on West Nordic Art, opening at Scandinavia House: The Nordic Center in America on April 18, 2026. The exhibit features artists Inuk Silis Høegh, Lisbeth Karline Poulsen, and Inuuteq Storch.

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The Greenland Monument: A Century of Danish-Greenlandic Relations (MODA)

In this timely conversation, Martine Lind Krebs explores the complex colonial history between Denmark and Greenland through the story of the Greenland Monument in Copenhagen. Erected in the 1930s, when Greenland was still a Danish colony and Norway had annexed parts of Eastern Greenland, the monument remains standing in central Copenhagen, even as other colonial monuments have been removed or defaced.

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What climate change means for Greenland's traditional Inuit lifestyle and the world

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.

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Story of Impact: Broadening Perspectives when Teaching about the Greenland Ice Sheet

Dr. Michelle Koutnik, a glaciology research faculty member at the University of Washington's College of the Environment, offers her perspective to help illuminate some of the interconnected and complex issues that go beyond media headlines.

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Inuit Collectivity as Resilience

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.

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Poll: Clear majority of Greenlanders reject independence now

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.

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Greenland: French Consul General arrives in Nuuk

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.

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Historical Timeline

985 - Erik the Red, a Norse explorer, named the island Greenland and established European settlements that lasted until the 1400s.
c. 1100 - The Inuit Thule peoples, ancestors of the current Inuit indigenous population, migrated to Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland).
1721 - Danish missionary Hans Egede established a colony on Greenland and began Denmark’s formal claim to controlling the island.
1776 - United States of America created when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4.
1783 - Denmark signed its first commercial treaty with the United States.
1792 - Denmark officially recognized the United States as an independent nation.
1801 - Denmark and the United States established a diplomatic relationship, which has been the longest uninterrupted diplomatic contact between the US and any other nation.
1917 - United States purchased the Danish West Indies from Denmark, renaming them the U.S. Virgin Islands.
1940 - Nazi Germany invaded Denmark and occupied the country until the end of World War II. Danish Ambassador Henrik Kauffmann defied instructions from the Nazi-controlled government in Copenhagen and instead continued in Washington, DC, as an envoy of “the free Danish people.”
1941 - United States signed a treaty with Ambassador Kauffmann to allow a US military presence on Greenland as a “stepping stone” in the North Atlantic for transportation and communication. Greenland remained an American protectorate through the remainder of the war.
1945 - Nazi Germany surrendered control of Denmark on May 5, ending five years of occupation. Denmark regained control of Greenland. The Danish government dropped the charges of treason made against Ambassador Kauffmann.
1949 - Denmark and the United States joined 10 other nations as founding members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
1951 - The United States and Denmark signed a new treaty for military cooperation in Greenland, making Thule Air Base (now the Pituffik Space Base) in the northwest a permanent facility.
1968 - An American B-52 airplane carrying nuclear weapons crashed just outside of Thule Air Base on Greenland. The emergency response and clean-up efforts exposed the fact that the US was bringing nuclear materials to the territory in violation of the treaty.
1979 - Denmark awarded Greenland the right of Home Rule, creating its own government and parliament.
2001 - In response to the attacks on the United States on September 11, Denmark pledged military support of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan. Between 2002 and 2021, Denmark deployed over 18,000 troops to Afghanistan.
2003 - Denmark joined the US-led Operation Iraqi Freedom. Between 2003 and 2007 over 5,000 Danish troops served in Iraq.
2008 - Referendum established Greenland as an autonomous territory with self-governance and the right to vote for full independence.
2019 - President Trump made his first public statements regarding the US acquiring Greenland, an idea firmly rejected by both Danish and Greenlandic governments.
2024 - President Trump expressed his belief that US ownership of Greenland is “essential” for national security. Denmark increased its defense spending, reaching the 2% of GDP expected of NATO member nations.
2025 - Donald Trump Jr. made a personal visit to Greenland in January, followed by Vice President Vance visiting the Pituffik Space Base in March. Greenland’s national elections in March reflected a preference for slowing down the independence movement in light of perceived threats of American pressure. Denmark continued to increase its defense spending and committed to the new NATO target of 5% of GDP over the following decade.
2026 - Rising tensions over President Trump’s stated goal to acquire Greenland for the US led to a meeting on January 14 between Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt. Also in January, seven NATO allies sent troops for joint military exercises in Greenland called “Operation Arctic Endurance.” Several EU leaders signed statements of solidarity and support for national sovereignty, which prompted threats of tariffs from the White House. A poll found that 85% of Americans oppose using US troops to invade Greenland. By the end of January 2026, President Trump and European leaders agreed to form a working group for ongoing negotiations regarding Greenland. In February, both Canada and France opened consulate offices in Greenland.

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.