agriculture: 3.7%
industry: 20.6%
services: 75.7% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
4.96 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 12.4%
industry: 22.4%
services: 65.1% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.7% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
8.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 26% (2000 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
33 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 96
35.4 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.7% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
Budget:
revenues: $126.5 billion
expenditures: $144.4 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
97.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
112% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.1% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
2.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 92
5% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal
lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro
area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8.65% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 112
7.71% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro
area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi
money circulating within their own borders
Stock of quasi money:
$NA
Stock of domestic credit:
$394.6 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 21
$365.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 32
$264.9 billion (31 December 2007)
$208.3 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco,
potatoes; beef, dairy products
Industries:
tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal
products; mining, petroleum
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
Electricity - production:
58.79 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Electricity - consumption:
58.28 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Electricity - exports:
1.962 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
7.575 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
4,891 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Oil - consumption:
434,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Oil - exports:
151,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
Oil - imports:
553,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Oil - proved reserves:
10 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
Natural gas - production:
14 million cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Natural gas - consumption:
4.206 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 73
Natural gas - imports:
4.205 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.982 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
Current account balance:
-$51.53 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
-$44.4 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$29.14 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
$23.91 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products,
chemicals, textiles
Exports - partners:
Italy 11.5%, Germany 10.5%, Bulgaria 7%, Cyprus 6.2%, US 5%, UK
4.7%, Romania 4.4% (2008)
Imports:
$93.91 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
$80.79 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Germany 13.3%, Italy 12.8%, China 6.2%, France 5.6%, Netherlands
5.1%, Russia 4.7% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.473 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
$3.658 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$504.6 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 19
$454.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$36.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
$53.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$32.44 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
$31.65 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007),
0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Communications ::Greece
Telephones - main lines in use:
5.975 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 29
Telephones - mobile cellular:
13.799 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good
mobile telephone and international service
domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire
connections; submarine cable to offshore islands
international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3
optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to
Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables
provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East,
and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2
Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1
Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
36 (plus 1,341 repeaters); also 2 stations in the American Armed
Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)
Internet country code:
.gr
Internet hosts:
2.342 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 28
Internet users:
4.253 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 47
Transportation ::Greece
Airports:
81 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 69
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 67
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 18
under 914 m: 9 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 12 (2009)
Heliports:
9 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 1,197 km; oil 75 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,548 km
country comparison to the world: 65
standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 117,533 km
country comparison to the world: 37
paved: 107,895 km (includes 880 km of expressways)
unpaved: 9,638 km (2005)
Waterways:
6 km
country comparison to the world: 108
note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens
sea voyage by 325 km (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 869
country comparison to the world: 12
by type: bulk carrier 260, cargo 66, carrier 1, chemical tanker 66,
combination ore/oil 2, container 45, liquefied gas 10, passenger 13,
passenger/cargo 115, petroleum tanker 274, roll on/roll off 15,
specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 64 (Belgium 16, Cyprus 7, Turkey 1, UK 32, US 8)
registered in other countries: 2,357 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas
209, Barbados 12, Belize 1, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Cambodia 3, Cayman
Islands 16, China 2, Comoros 6, Cyprus 259, Denmark 4, Dominica 10,
Egypt 8, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 22, Isle of
Man 50, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Liberia 358,
Maldives 1, Malta 452, Marshall Islands 269, Norway 3, Panama 510,
Philippines 4, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 71, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia
3, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 15, Slovakia 2, Turkey 1, UAE 3,
Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki
Military ::Greece
Military branches:
Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos
Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki
Aeroporia, EPA) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime
the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of
inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of
age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all
services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,535,174
females age 16-49: 2,517,273 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,067,878
females age 16-49: 2,050,289 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 53,401
female: 50,084 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
4.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Transnational Issues ::Greece
Disputes - international:
Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex
maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea;
Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name
Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of unemployed
Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly
Greece and Italy
Illicit drugs:
a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin
from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor
chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is
consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and
organized crime
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Greenland (North America)
Introduction ::Greenland
Background:
Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped.
Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish
colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an
integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community
(now the EU) with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985 over a
dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted
self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into
effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased
self-rule in November 2008 and acquired complete responsibilty for
internal affairs in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to
exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs, security, and
financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule
Government.
Geography ::Greenland
Location:
Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada
Geographic coordinates:
72 00 N, 40 00 W
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 2,166,086 sq km
country comparison to the world: 13
land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km
ice-covered)
Area - comparative:
slightly more than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
44,087 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line
Climate:
arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters
Terrain:
flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,
mountainous, barren, rocky coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum,
niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower,
possible oil and gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island
Environment - current issues:
protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit
traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting
Geography - note:
dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe;
sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close
to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's
second largest ice cap
People ::Greenland
Population:
57,600 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23% (male 6,727/female 6,533)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 21,696/female 18,669)
65 years and over: 6.9% (male 2,000/female 1,975) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 33.5 years
male: 34.9 years
female: 31.9 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.062% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
Birth rate:
14.76 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
Death rate:
8.14 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
Net migration rate:
-5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
Urbanization:
urban population: 84% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 10.72 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 151
male: 12.26 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.07 years
country comparison to the world: 143
male: 67.44 years
female: 72.85 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.19 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 118
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100 (1999)
country comparison to the world: 164
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Greenlander(s)
adjective: Greenlandic
Ethnic groups:
Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others
12% (2000)
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran
Languages:
Greenlandic (East Inuit) (official), Danish, English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (2001 est.)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Greenland
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Greenland
local long form: none
local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat
Dependency status:
part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas
administrative division of Denmark since 1979
Government type:
parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Nuuk (Godthab)
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 is divided into four time zones
Administrative divisions:
3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland),
Kitaa (Vestgronland)
note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland
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:
(November 2008) Act on Greenland Self Government
Legal system:
the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January
1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Kuupik KLEIST (since 12 June 2009)
cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament
(Landsting) on the basis of the strength of parties
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed
by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the
leader of the majority party)
election results: Kuupik KLEIST elected prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Landsting (31 seats; members are elected by
popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 June 2009 (next to be held by 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - Inuit Ataqatigiit
43.7%, Siumut 26.5%, Demokratiit 12.7%, Atassut 10.9%;
Kattusseqatigiit 3.8%, other 2.4%; seats by party - IA 14, Siumut 9,
Demokraatiit 4, Atassut 3, Kattusseqatigiit 1
note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or
Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011);
percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit
Ataqatigiit 1
Judicial branch:
High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or
Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen)
Political parties and leaders:
Atassut Party (Solidarity) [Finn KARLSEN] (a conservative party
favoring continuing close relations with Denmark); Demokratiit [Per
BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood) [Josef
MOTZFELDT] (a leftist party favoring complete independence from
Denmark rather than home rule); Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List)
(an independent right-of-center party with no official platform);
Siumut (Forward Party) [Hans ENOKSEN] (a social democratic party
advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy
from Denmark)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: conservationists; environmentalists
International organization participation:
Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
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
Economy ::Greenland
Economy - overview:
The economy remains critically dependent on exports of shrimp and
fish and on a substantial subsidy - about $700 million in 2008-09 -
from the Danish Government, which supplies about 60% of government
revenues. The public sector, including publicly-owned enterprises
and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy.
Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities
are ongoing and in 2007 a US firm signed an agreement with the
Greenland Home Rule government to study the feasibility of building
a multi-billion dollar aluminum smelter and hydropower plant.
Denmark plans to reduce its subsidies to Greenland as revenues from
oil exports come onstream.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.1 billion (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.7 billion (2005)
GDP - real growth rate:
2% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$20,000 (2001 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
32,120 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 195
Unemployment rate:
9.3% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $1.36 billion
expenditures: $1.27 billion (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Agriculture - products:
forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish
Industries:
fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold,
niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts,
hides and skins, small shipyards
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
325 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
Electricity - consumption:
302.3 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
Oil - consumption:
4,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
Oil - exports:
149.5 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Oil - imports:
4,172 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 170
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
Exports:
$480 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 164
Exports - commodities:
fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) (2001 est.)
Exports - partners:
Denmark 63.5%, Japan 11.1%, China 4.9%, Canada 4.8% (2008)
Imports:
$712 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 181
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food,
petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Denmark 59.1%, Sweden 20.9%, Norway 4.7%, UK 4.4% (2008)
Debt - external:
$25 million (1999)
country comparison to the world: 196
Exchange rates:
Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.0236 (2008 est.), 5.4797
(2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004)
Communications ::Greenland
Telephones - main lines in use:
22,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 189
Telephones - mobile cellular:
55,800 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 191
Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate domestic and international service
provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally
digitalized in 1995
domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite
international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12
Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 5, FM 14, shortwave 0 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus some local low-power stations, and 3 American Forces Radio
and Television Service (AFRTS) stations (1997)
Internet country code:
.gl
Internet hosts:
14,134 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 111
Internet users:
36,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 177
Transportation ::Greenland
Airports:
15 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 146
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Roadways:
note: although there are short roads in towns, there are no roads
between towns; inter-urban transport takes place either by sea or
air (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 2
country comparison to the world: 144
by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Sisimiut
Military ::Greenland
Military branches:
no regular military forces
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 15,221 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,809
females age 16-49: 11,437 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 532
female: 491 (2009 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Denmark