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Location:
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Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
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Geographic coordinates:
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72 00 N, 40 00 W
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Map references:
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arctic region
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Area:
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total: 2,166,086 sq km
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than three times the size of Texas
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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44,087 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 3 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
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Climate:
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arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
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Terrain:
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flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
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Natural resources:
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coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas
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Land use:
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arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
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Environment - current issues:
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protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting
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Geography - note:
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dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap
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