"seal, walrus and polar bear. He also said that hunters who net seals under the ice in winter must pull in those nets within hours after an animal is caught. Worms and parasites that the hunters have never seen before rapidly riddle and destroy the carcasses if they are left in the water very long. Eliassen says he believes the parasites have moved north with the warmer water. Finally, traditional Thule culture is threatened by development and the growing cash-based economy. Even the smallest settlements in northwest Greenland have electricity today, albeit a small supply of electricity powered by diesel"
"Of the other groups, the lichens are the largest with about 950 species; of major fungal species are known 600–700; mosses and algae anything less. Most of Greenland's higher plants are widespread, particularly in arctic and alpine regions, and only a dozen species of particular saxifrage and hawkweed is endemic. A few species were introduced by the Norsemen, such as cow vetch. The animals of Greenland include the Greenland dog, which was introduced by the Inuit, as well as European-introduced species such as Greenlandic sheep, goats, cattle, reindeer, horse, chicken and sheepdog, all descendants of animals imported by Europeans. Marine"
"in fish and invertebrates, especially in the milder West Greenland Current, and a large part of the Greenland fauna associated with marine production, including large colonies of seabirds. The few native land mammals in Greenland include the polar bear, reindeer, arctic fox, arctic hare, musk ox, collared lemming, ermine, and arctic wolf. The last four are found naturally only in East Greenland, having immigrated from Ellesmere Island. There are dozens of species of seals and whales along the coast. Land fauna consists predominantly of animals that have spread from North America or for a lot of birds and insects coming"
"Greenland Dog The Greenland Dog (Greenlandic: ""Kalaallit Qimmiat"", Danish: ""Grønlandshunden"") is a large breed of husky-type dog kept as a sled dog and for hunting polar bear and seal. They were brought from Siberia to North America by the Thule people 1,000 years ago, along with the Canadian Eskimo Dog that is genetically identical. The first dogs arrived in the Americas 12,000 years ago. However, people and their dogs did not settle in the Arctic until the Paleo-Eskimo people 4,500 years ago and then the Thule people 1,000 years ago, both originating from Siberia. Dogs first appeared in Greenland around"
"In the 13th-century ""Konungs skuggsjá (King's mirror)"", it is stated that the old Norsemen tried in vain to raise barley. Among the large land mammals are the musk ox, the caribou, the polar bear and the white Arctic wolf. Other familiar mammals in Greenland include the Arctic hare, collared lemming, ermine and Arctic fox. Caribou hunting is of considerable cultural importance to the people of Greenland. Domesticated land mammals include dogs, which were introduced by the Inuit, as well as such European-introduced species as goats, Greenlandic sheep, oxen and pigs, which are raised in modest numbers in the south. As"
"Coat of arms of Greenland The coat of arms of Greenland is a blue shield featuring a silver polar bear. This symbol was first introduced in the coat of arms of Denmark in 1666 and it is still represented in the arms of the Danish royal family. In a Danish context, the bear was originally shown walking naturally, but an upright position was specified in 1819. The 1470 ""London Roll"" shows an arms captioned ""Le Roy de Greneland"" featuring a shield depicting a polar bear surrounded by three birds. This royal title did not reflect any official title, but merely"
"Greenland by military patrols. The migrating wolves began to repopulate the area and have establish a new population of wolves. Wolves are now protected in Greenland, and by 2011 they had re-established a population of 23 wolves through single and pairs of wolves following military dog-sled patrols from the northeast over distances of up to 560 kilometers to eastern Greenland. Greenland wolf The Greenland wolf (""Canis lupus orion"") is a subspecies of gray wolf that is native to Greenland. More than 90% of the wolf's range falls within the boundaries of the Northeast Greenland National Park, where the wolf population"
"mammals include the hooded seal (""Cystophora cristata"") as well as the grey seal (""Halichoerus grypus""). Whales frequently pass very close to Greenlandic shores in the late summer and early autumn. Species represented include the beluga whale, blue whale, Greenland whale, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale, narwhal, pilot whale, sperm whale. Approximately 225 species of fish are known from the waters surrounding Greenland, and the fishing industry is a major part of Greenland's economy, accounting for the majority of the country's total exports. Birds, especially seabirds, are an important part of Greenland's animal life. On steep mountainsides breed large colonies"
"north and east of the country; like narwhal, they have at times suffered from overhunting for their tusks. As of 1911, 61 species of birds were known to breed in Greenland. Certain birds such as the eider duck, guillemot and ptarmigan are hunted for food in the winter. Of the many species of fish inhabiting Greenland's waters, several have been of economic importance, including cod, caplin, halibut, rockfish, ""nipisak"" (""Cycloperteus lumpus"") and sea trout. The Greenland shark is used for the oil in its liver, as well as fermented and eaten as hákarl, a local delicacy. Flora and fauna of"
"of King Frederick III of Denmark, but did not gain widespread use on its own until the early 20th century. Coat of arms of Greenland The coat of arms of Greenland is a blue shield featuring a silver polar bear. This symbol was first introduced in the coat of arms of Denmark in 1666 and it is still represented in the arms of the Danish royal family. In a Danish context, the bear was originally shown walking naturally, but an upright position was specified in 1819. The 1470 ""London Roll"" shows an arms captioned ""Le Roy de Greneland"" featuring a"
"is protected and not used for forestry. Animal husbandry consists mainly of sheep farming, with free-grazing flocks. Modern sheep farming methods were introduced in the early 20th century, with the first farm built in 1906. The farms provide meat for local consumption and wool mainly for export. Some 20,000 lambs are slaughtered annually in Narsaq by the state-owned Neqi A/S. The lack of private land ownership rights on Greenland forces farmers to jointly agree to terms of land usage. In the south, there is also a small cattle farm. Reindeer herding has been introduced to Greenland in waves since 1952."
"of auks, puffins, skuas, and kittiwakes. By common ducks include eiders, long-tailed ducks and the king eider and in West Greenland white-fronted goose and in East Greenland pink-footed goose and barnacle goose. Breeding migratory birds are also including snow bunting, lapland bunting, ringed plover, red-throated loon and red-necked phalarope. Of land birds that are usually sedentary, can be highlighted arctic redpoll, ptarmigan, short-eared owl, snowy owl, gyrfalcon and in West Greenland the white-tailed eagle. The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, in which Queen Margrethe II is the head of state. The monarch officially retains executive power and presides"
"that the arms could be used by anyone controlling Greenland. The version currently used by the government of Greenland was designed by Greenlandic artist Jens Rosing and adopted on 1 May 1989 by the Landsting. The polar bear symbolizes the fauna of Greenland and the blue (azure) colour designates the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean Greenland is washed by. Instead of the Danish version in the royal arms which follows the heraldic tradition in raising the right forepaw, the polar bear on the Greenlandic coat of arms raises the left forepaw, due to the traditional Inuit belief that polar bears"
"only native land mammal on Iceland is the Arctic fox. Animals that have been introduced include the American mink, which escaped from fur farms and prospered, and the reindeer. A herd of reindeer in the southeast has died out but a larger herd in the northeast has a population of several thousand animals. The wood mouse has also been introduced and inhabits the countryside, with the house mouse, the brown rat and the black rat being restricted to urban areas. About 72 species of bird breed on Iceland. These include the gyrfalcon, the white-tailed eagle and the merlin, the snowy"
"Greenland wolf The Greenland wolf (""Canis lupus orion"") is a subspecies of gray wolf that is native to Greenland. More than 90% of the wolf's range falls within the boundaries of the Northeast Greenland National Park, where the wolf population was estimated in 1998 to be 55 wolves due to a lack of prey. In 1935, the British zoologist Reginald Pocock attributed the subspecies name ""Canis lupus orion"" to a specimen from Cape York, northwest Greenland. He also attributed the name ""Canis lupus arctos"" (Arctic wolf) to a specimen from Melville Island in the nearby Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada. Both"
"by indigenous peoples is legal, but some animal rights organizations are concerned about commercial whale hunting in Greenland, with one company, Arctic Green Food freezing and distributing a quarter of Greenland's whale meat. Land-based dishes include reindeer (caribou), lamb, mutton, and musk-ox, which can be served tartare. Sheep farming and cattle ranching were introduced to Greenland by the Norse. Caribou are hunted in the fall, foxes and hares year round, musk-oxen in the spring, and polar bear are hunted in the spring and fall. Meats can be boiled, dried, frozen, fermented, or occasionally eaten raw. Caribou livers are consumed raw,"
"mammals include Arctic fox, stoat, collared lemming and Arctic hare. Other marine mammals include ringed seal, bearded seal, harp seal and hooded seal as well as narwhal and Beluga whale. Species of birds which breed in the park include great northern diver, barnacle goose, pink-footed goose, common eider, king eider, gyrfalcon, snowy owl, sanderling, ptarmigan and raven. Northeast Greenland National Park Northeast Greenland National Park (, ) is the world's largest national park and the largest protected land area. Established in 1974 and expanded to its present size in 1988, it protects of the interior and northeastern coast of Greenland"
"Greenlandic cuisine Greenlandic cuisine is traditionally based on meat from marine mammals, game, birds, and fish, and normally contains high levels of protein. Since colonization and the arrival of international trade, the cuisine has been increasingly influenced by Danish, British, American and Canadian cuisine. During the summer when the weather is milder, meals are often eaten outdoors. The national dish of Greenland is suaasat, a traditional Greenlandic soup. It is often made from seal, or from whale, reindeer, or seabirds. The soup often includes onions and potatoes, and is simply seasoned with salt and pepper, or bay leaf. The soup"
"Flora and fauna of Greenland Although the bulk of its area is covered by ice caps inhospitable to most forms of life, Greenland's terrain and waters support a wide variety of plant and animal species. The northeastern part of the country is the world's largest national park. The flora and fauna of Greenland are strongly susceptible to changes associated with climate change. The image galleries below link to information related to the flora and fauna of Greenland, including Latin taxonomy, Danish translations, and links to articles in the , which can be helpful when searching for more information. 310 species"
"coastal regions and making recovery a slow process. Reindeer (or caribou) (also called ""tuttu"" by the Greenlandic Inuit and ""rensdyr"" or ""rener"" by Danes) are the only deer species in which both sexes have antlers. Greenland animals can vary considerably in size, with females weighing up to 90 kg (198 lb) and the males (""bulls"") 150 kg (331 lb). Other species of reindeer can be larger or smaller. In Greenland both sexes may be hunted. Although they have antlers, they rarely use them against humans, even when backed into a corner by the Sami people who herd, milk, and slaughter"
"Culture of Greenland The culture of Greenland has much in common with Greenlandic Inuit tradition, as the majority of people are descended from Inuit. Many people still go ice fishing and there are annual dog-sled races in which everyone with a team participates. However, Greenland has now become somewhat of a tourist attraction. It holds contests to attract tourists such as dog racing, ice fishing, hiking, and cross country racing. Inuit people account for 81% (2005) of the population of Greenland. Hunting is iconic to their culture and most Greenlanders still hunt at least part-time to supplement their diet and"
"mammals such as foxes or hares, but air and sea life are plentiful. There are many species of gull, and large numbers of fulmars are often seen close to towns where they make use of waste products from the fish factories. Prawns, which are among Greenland's top exports, are the reason for many large trawlers and smaller fishing vessels which ply the waters of North Greenland. Also commonly seen is the gigantic fin whale. Avannaa Avannaa, originally Nordgrønland (""North Greenland""), was one of the three counties () of Greenland, until 31 December 2008. The county seat was at the main"
"world and considered a gourmet style of meat. The taste and quality are closely linked to the animals’ life conditions. Greenlandic fleece is dual-coated. When the long and finer coat is separated, the outer and inner coats are used for different woolen products. Though the transport cost has up to now stopped all industrial use of the Greenlandic wool. Sheep are not milked in Greenland, and instead the lamb is allowed to continue suckling. Greenlandic sheep The Greenlandic sheep () (Danish: """") is a breed of domestic sheep. The Greenlandic breed is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, which"
"for load pulling and endurance in a harsh working environment. Greenland dogs have been used on many expeditions by explorers, the most famous being Fridtjof Nansen. Nansen recorded in his book ""På ski over Grønland"", Greenland dogs being used as working dogs by the Greenland Native. Nansen was a successful polar explorer and used the dogs on his famous voyage across the Arctic Ocean in the equally famous ship ""Fram"". Roald Amundsen used the Greenland Dogs as well on his expedition to the Antarctic. Amundsen carefully chose 97 Greenland dogs to accompany him and his team on his expedition to"
"Antarctica and in his subsequent South Pole expedition. Both men started with more dogs than they technically needed to pull as sledge, both intending to use them also as food for dogs and men. Amundsen's team, humans and dogs fed on dog. Greenland Dog The Greenland Dog (Greenlandic: ""Kalaallit Qimmiat"", Danish: ""Grønlandshunden"") is a large breed of husky-type dog kept as a sled dog and for hunting polar bear and seal. They were brought from Siberia to North America by the Thule people 1,000 years ago, along with the Canadian Eskimo Dog that is genetically identical. The first dogs arrived"
"20th century. Birds are represented by barnacle goose, pink-footed goose, snow goose, whooper swan, king eider, common eider, long-tailed duck, Brunnich's guillemot, black guillemot, little auk, puffin, fulmar, herring gull, glaucous gull, great black-backed gull, kittiwake, Arctic tern, red-throated diver, great northern diver, red-breasted merganser, ptarmigan, raven, snowy owl, Greenlandic gyrfalcon, etc. Most of them are migrating species and form large colonies which may contain up to millions of individuals (for little auk). Fishes of the area include Arctic char, Greenland halibut, polar cod, cuttlefish, wolf fish, sea scorpion and Greenland shark. Aquatic mammals are dominated by seals (ringed, hooded,"
"Greenlandic sheep The Greenlandic sheep () (Danish: """") is a breed of domestic sheep. The Greenlandic breed is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep, which exhibit a fluke-shaped, naturally short tail. The Greenlandic is a mid-sized breed, generally short-legged and stocky, with face and legs free of wool. The fleece of the Greenlandic sheep is dual-coated and comes in white as well as a variety of other colors, including a range of browns, grays, and blacks. They exist in both horned and polled strains. Generally left unshorn for the winter, the breed is very cold-hardy. Multiple births are very"
"many as two million seals are estimated to inhabit Greenland's coasts; species include the hooded seal (""Cystophora cristata"") as well as the grey seal (""Halichoerus grypus""). Whales frequently pass very close to Greenlandic shores in the late summer and early autumn. Species represented include the beluga whale, blue whale, Greenland whale, fin whale, humpback whale, minke whale, narwhal, pilot whale, sperm whale. Whaling was formerly a major industry in Greenland; by the turn of the 20th century, however, the right whale population was so depleted that the industry was in deep decline. Walruses are to be found primarily in the"
"from Europe. There are no native or free-living reptiles or amphibians on the island. Phytogeographically, Greenland belongs to the Arctic province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. The island is sparsely populated in vegetation; plant life consists mainly of grassland and small bushes, which is regularly grazed by livestock. The most common tree native to Greenland is the European white birch (""Betula pubescens"") along with gray-leaf willow (""Salix glauca""), rowans (""Sorbus aucuparia""), common junipers (""Juniperus communis"") and other smaller trees, mainly willows. Greenland's flora comprises about 500 species of higher plants, i.e. flowering plants, ferns, horsetails and lycopodiophyta."
"Greenland National Museum The Greenland National Museum () is located in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. It was one of the first museums established in Greenland, inaugurated in the mid-1960s. The museum has many artefacts related to archaeology, history, art, and handicrafts and also has information about ruins, graveyards, buildings etc. It is based in a warehouse which was built in 1936. A major display in the museum contains the Qilakitsoq mummies. The mummies consist of three women and a six-month-old child, half of the mummies found at Qilakitsoq. The museum also houses a display on social change in the"
"living in Greenland. In the winter, they are a primary mode of transportation. Most hunters in Greenland favor dog sled teams over snowmobiles as the dog sled teams are more reliable. The Samoyed was developed by the Samoyede people of Siberia, who used them to herd reindeer and hunt in addition to hauling sleds. These dogs were so prized, and the people who owned them so dependent upon them for survival, that the dogs were allowed to sleep in the tents with their owners. Smaller than the similar-appearing Malamute, the Siberian Husky pulls more, pound for pound, than a malamute,"
"The EU is Greenland's main trading partner. However, Greenland ranks as the EU's 103rd largest trading partner. In 2009 the EU put in place an import ban on seal fur on grounds on animal cruelty, but made exemptions for Inuit communities in Greenland and Canada in order to protect their way of life. The ban only allows small scale hunts for population control and local circulation – produce is not allowed to enter the EU. The ban angered those communities in the Arctic Circle who depend on sales from large scale seal hunting. Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries"
"process which lasted until 1985. This resulted in The Greenland Treaty of 1985. Greenland Home Rule has become increasingly Greenlandized, rejecting Danish and avoiding regional dialects to standardize the country under the language and culture of the Kalaallit (West Greenland Inuit). The capital Godthåb was renamed Nuuk in 1979; a local flag was adopted in 1985; the Danish KGH became the locally administered Kalaallit Niuerfiat (now KNI A/S) in 1986. Following a successful referendum on self-government in 2008, the local parliament's powers were expanded and Danish was removed as an official language in 2009. International relations are now largely, but"