Greenland: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat note: named by Norwegian adventurer Erik THORVALDSSON (Erik the Red) in 985 in order to entice settlers to the island |
|---|---|
| Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Greenland); part of the Kingdom of Denmark |
| Capital | Nuuk (Godthaab)
Nuuk (Godthaab)
geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Greenland has four time zones |
| Administrative divisions | 4 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune); Kujalleq, Qaasuitsup, Qeqqata, Sermersooq note: the North and East Greenland National Park (Avannaarsuani Tunumilu Nuna Allanngutsaaliugaq) and the Thule Air Base in Pituffik (in northwest Greenland) are two unincorporated areas; the national park's 972,000 sq km - about 46% of the island - makes it the largest national park in the world and also the most northerly |
| 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 | June 21 (longest day) |
| Constitution | previous 1953 (Greenland established as a constituency in the Danish constitution), 1979 (Greenland Home Rule Act); latest 21 June 2009 (Greenland Self-Government Act) (2016) |
| Legal system | the laws of Denmark apply where applicable and Greenlandic law applies to other areas |
| Citizenship | see Denmark |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Mikaela ENGELL (since April 2011) head of government: Premier Kim KIELSEN (since 30 September 2014) cabinet: Home Rule Government elected by the Parliament (Landsting) on the basis of the strength of parties elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; premier indirectly elected by Parliament election results: Kim KIELSEN elected premier; Parliament vote - Kim KIELSEN (S) 34.3%, Sara OLSVIG (IA) 33.2%, Anda ULDUM (D) 11.8%, other 20.7% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Parliament or Inatsisartut (Landsting) (31 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 28 November 2014 (next to be held by 2018) election results: percent of vote by party - S 34.6%, IA 33.5%, D 11.9%, PN 11.7%, A 6.6%, other 1.7%; seats by party - S 11, IA 11, D 4, PN 3, A 2 (2013) note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 18 June 2015 (next to be held by June 2019); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1 |
| 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 |
| Political parties and leaders | Democrats Party or D (Demokraatit) (Randi VESTERGAARD) Forward Party or S (Siumut) (Kim KIELSEN) Inuit Community or IA (Inuit Ataqatigiit) (Sara OLSVIG) Inuit Party or PI (Partii Inuit) (Nikku OLSEN) Partii Naleraq or PN (Hans ENOKSEN) Solidarity Party or A (Atassut) (Knud KRISTIANSEN) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | other: conservationists; environmentalists; those wanting independence |
| International organization participation | Arctic Council, ICC, NC, NIB, UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark): note - Greenland has an office in the Danish Embassy to the US; it also has offices in the Danish consulates of Chicago and New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); note - the US embassy in Copenhagen has an office devoted to Greenland |
| Flag description | 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 |
| National symbol(s) | polar bear; national colors: red, white |
| National anthem | name: "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit" ("Our Country, Who's Become So Old" also translated as "You Our Ancient Land") lyrics/music: Henrik LUND/Jonathan PETERSEN note: adopted 1916; the government also recognizes "Nuna asiilasooq" as a secondary anthem |