Greenland 2001
Yearbook 2001
Greenland. During the year, the debate continued about the US plans for a new robot defense, NMD, which is expected to affect US radar base Thule on northern Greenland. International environmental activists from Greenpeace came to Greenland during the summer to protest against the NMD plans. Several activists managed to get into Thulebase, where they were arrested by police.
A research report showed during the year that the population of eastern Greenland has the world’s highest measured concentration of environmental toxins in the blood. DDT, PCB and mercury are carried by air and sea currents from several continents to Greenland and concentrated in fat and intestines on polar bears, seals and whales, which are important elements in the diet of the East Greenlanders. The toxins can cause birth defects, weaken the immune system and cause cancer.
During the autumn, new warnings were issued about the melting of the ice sheet on Greenland. Researchers estimate that the ice layer, which is 3 km away, has decreased by 10-15 cm per year over the past four decades. For unknown reasons, the meltdown is most pronounced in northwestern Greenland, while the change in the eastern part is small.
In the election to the Danish parliament in November, the two Greenlandic mandates went to the leftist party IA, Inuit Akaqatigiik, and the Social Democratic Siumut, respectively.
- Abbreviationfinder: lists typical abbreviations and country overview of Greenland, including bordering countries, geography, history, politics, and economics.
After World War 2
World War II became a turning point in Greenlandic history. The missing supplies from Denmark were replaced with supplies from the USA and Canada. Danish insulation policy was thus broken. After the war, however, Greenland was again isolated for a short period. The Greenlandic Council then demanded that Greenland be “opened” and an equal part of the world.
In 1948, Greenland and Danish politicians set up the “Greenland Commission”, which issued a report in 1950, and the “new scheme” was initiated. In 1953, Greenland’s colonial status was abandoned, and the Danish Constitution was extended to include Greenland, which meant that the Greenlanders would, in the foreseeable future, be equated economically and legally with the people of Denmark.
However, the Danish efforts, including by some Greenlandic politicians, considered too small, and as early as 1960, the Danish government established a new committee, the Greenland Committee of 1960 (popularly called G-60), which aimed to strengthen efforts to improve equality.
Five main points of view were the basis for the new report, namely that employment should be increased, that the population should be concentrated in the most suitable cities, that business should be streamlined, that education should be given higher priority and that housing construction should be intensified.
The development of the country that subsequently gained momentum was very much based on Danish “welfare principles”, which entailed high social and personal costs for the people of Greenland, and in the early 1970’s led to a demand from the young generation in particular for increased influence and rebirth of Greenlandic culture. At the same time, the growing political interest was the start of the political parties in Greenland.
Population 2001
According to Countryaah, the population of Greenland in 2001 was 56,840, ranking number 207 in the world. The population growth rate was 0.270% yearly, and the population density was 0.1388 people per km2.
