INFORMATION ABOUT

Temperatures Because the air in Greenland is very dry and does not have as much humidity as air on the European continent, the temperatures are perceived differently. –10 degrees Celsius will feel equivalent to +10-12 degrees on the continent.

Aurora Borealis – Northern lights Aurora Borealis is exhibited all year round, and can be observed in dark and clear night skies. Aurora Borealis is a fascinating phenomenon that arises from electrical discharges made by the sun, which interact with the magnetic conditions and the atmosphere above the polar region. Purple, red, white, yellow and green lights are either seen moving across the sky as a waving curtain, or they are seen as radiating from a single point in the sky. Remember that in the summer the sun is up all day and night or at least it doesn’t get dark enough to be able to see the Northern lights.

Midnight sun North of the Polar Circle the midnight sun rules from May to July, inspiring new ways of living - because how morning is defined when the sun never sets? South of the Polar Circle and in other summer periods the nights are bright but without the sun exactly shining. This is also a spectacular experience.

Time zone The Greenlandic is –4 hours CET. When it is midday in Greenland, it is 16.00 hours in Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Paris, 15.00 hours in London and 10.00 hours in New York. All time indications in programme are local times. By departure from Copenhagen at 9.15AM you arrive in Greenland 9.55AM (depending of air craft). This is especially an advantage for those guests going on one of our weekend tours.

Clothing Whether it is winter, spring or summer in Greenland it is recommended that you dress according to the layer-upon-layer principle, with outermost layer being wind- and waterproof. As the sea temperature is only a few degrees Celsius, gloves, and hood or cap is recommended when sailing. It is important to bring proper boots or shoes both during winter and summer. This means sturdy boots or shoes with heavy soles that have grooves. Generally the attire in Greenland is informal, and you are welcome to wear jeans and sweater as much as suit and tie when dining at restaurants. The native Greenlanders dress with the warmest attire from the bottom upwards. If you are warm from feet to waist, the need to cover your torso is lessened. During the summer both shorts and T-shirts are often worn clothes. But as the weather is very interchangeable is it wise to bring

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

sweaters and long pants in your backpack.

Personal equipment The sun and its reflected rays are very strong, and sunglasses and sun lotion with a high sun factor are necessary. Polarized sunglasses are recommended because it removes a lot of the flicker from the sun in the sea. It makes it also easier to look down into the water, especially nice if a is swimming beside the boat or if you’re out arctic chars in the rivers.

The summer is also the time for mosquitoes, and therefore mosquito nets and balms are necessary to bring along.

ID, passport, visa and vaccinations Nordic citizens can enter Greenland without passport, but are required to show legitimate photo identification at check-in. The catch 22 can be that you might need to proof you are a Nordic citizen and the only way to do that is with a pass port or the new EU ID cards.

All others have to bring passport. No vaccinations are needed for travel in Greenland.

Duty free and customs duties In general you can bring 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of alkhohol beverage with +20% alcohol or 2 liter strong vine 15-22%, 2,25 litres vine below 15%, 2 litre beer, 2 litres of soda water, 50 g perfume. In addition to this cosmetics and other toilet articles, until a maximum value of DKK 1,000, 2 kg chocolates/sweets, 5 kg meat. If you carry more than these amounts you must declare this to the customs.

The weather forecast All who live or have relations to Greenland know that the weather is an important factor when travelling. You can click onto the Danish Meteorological Institute web page and see what the current and forecasted weather is like at the destination of your choice. You can also use the web page as inspiration for locating a travel destination, with the type of weather and temperature you prefer www.dmi.dk. Also www.yr.no is a good weather forecast site for Greenland

Hospitals and dentists Greenland has modern hospitals and educated personnel in most towns. Particularly complicated incidents may require transfer to or Copenhagen. It is recommended that you bring your regular personal medication, as specific products are not always available.

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

Geography Greenland is the largest island in the world. The size of Greenland is 6 times larger than Germany! Owing to its situation in the north, where the Atlantic meets the Arctic Ocean, cold ocean currents principally surround Greenland, so the coasts are constantly being cooled. This, together with the radiation of cold from the inland ice gives Greenland its Arctic climate.

The ice-sheet or inland ice covers 1,833,900 km2 - equal to 83% of Greenland's total area and extending 2,500 km north- south and up to 1,000 km east-west. At the centre, the ice is up to 3 km thick and represents 10% of the world's total fresh-water reserves.

The ice-free area covers an expanse of 350,000 km2 – larger than the size of Finland.

Approximately one-third of Greenland is national park. In 1974, 750,000 km2 of northeast Greenland were listed and it is now the world's largest national park.

Geology Greenland's geological history is the oldest in the world. Greenland is the site of the oldest rocks ever dated (3,700 million years). By way of comparison, the earth is reckoned to be 4,600 million years old.

It has been demonstrated that 75% of Greenland's subsoil, including the area beneath the inland ice, must be at least 1,600 million years old.

The glaciers of the ice age have shaped Greenland’s topology but in several locations traces of geological processes have been found, such as earthquakes, formation of mountain ranges and volcanic activity. No wonder, therefore, that Greenland is an Eldorado for geology buffs.

The fauna and flora The Greenlandic climate is Arctic, but owing to the country's large landmass there are huge variations with regard to both humidity and temperature. Climatologically, a distinction is made between a northern high-Arctic, middle low-Arctic and southern Sub-arctic zone.

The richest plant growth is found in the Sub-arctic belt, which includes only the very southernmost part of Greenland. Here, there are low-lying tracts of forest with birch scrub, while in the low-Arctic area one finds dense, tall willow scrub. In the high-Arctic area, there is only low-lying vegetation of arctic willow, in addition to many expanses of moorland, marsh and ponds.

The greater part of Greenland, however, has highly varied mountain vegetation, reminiscent of the north Scandinavian one. In the driest inland

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

areas, the vegetation is reminiscent of the vegetation to be found in the mountainous regions of central North America.

Because of the harsh climate, with drought in the high-Arctic summer and freezing-over in the low-Arctic winter, the number of terrestrial mammals in Greenland is very limited. The stock consists of the polar bear, Arctic wolf, Arctic fox, ermine, lemming, musk ox, and alpine hare. The Greenlandic ocean areas, on the other hand, are among the most fruitful in the world, thanks to large areas rich in nutrient salts, and none of the Greenlandic marine mammals, seals, or walrus are listed as endangered species.

The language Greenlandic is an Eskimo language quite unlike other languages. The peoples of , USA and Russia speak varieties of a language that is quite similar, but no common written Eskimo language exists.

Compared with other in the Arctic, Greenland has a prolific range of literary works which is regularly consulted by the indigenous people. Both the written and the spoken tongue have generally always been of great importance to the people of Greenland, as their language has been a means of asserting their own identity.

West Greenlandic, as spoken in , and the Nuuk area, is the official language of communication throughout Greenland. However, East Greenlandic is very different from that of the West, but most East Greenlanders understand West Greenlandic. The same also applies in the (Thule) area in the very north west of Greenland, where the dialect is again completely different. In and in the district, West Greenlandic is spoken, but with an 'i' dialect, so that most u's turn into i's. Many Greenlanders also speak Danish, and especially among the young people of the towns there are many who also speak English. Many young Greenlanders have learned English when using internet but they might not be good speaking the language, even if understanding is good.

Recent history In 1721, with the aid of the Danish king, a Norwegian priest called successfully mounted an expedition to Greenland, where he wished to rechristianize the Northerners. At that time, no-one knew that they had long since disappeared. Instead, the outcome was a Lutheran mission and a trading post among the Greenlanders. Thus was ushered in the colonial age, which lasted until the constitutional amendment of 1953.

With this change in the constitution, Greenland became part of . The colonial age was at an end, and like the Faeroe Islands, Greenland too was now given two members in The Folketing (the Danish parliament).

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

As Danish citizens, the Greenlandic people now had ordinary civic rights and their general state of health and educational facilities were radically improved.

Greenland Home Rule On May 1st 1979, Greenland was granted home rule within the Danish Commonwealth. The former National Council was abolished, instead creating the basis for a parliament proper, the Landsting. The Greenland Home Rule Parliament, as it is officially called, has policy-making authority and appoints a Landsstyre, the rough equivalent of a government.

There are elections to the Landsting at least every fourth year, and today the Landsting consists today of 31 MPs spread over four political parties, representing all constituencies from north to east by power of the Election Act. The Landsstyre also elects its own officers, in the form of a Premier, prime minister, and a number of members of the Home Rule Government, who enjoy ministerial status.

The Greenland Home Rule has gradually assumed more and more areas of responsibility since 1979, and the Danish government thus has legislative competence only within foreign policy, defense, the judiciary and currency matters. Also, under the Danish constitution, Greenland is guaranteed two representatives in the Danish parliament, The Folketing.

This model of an evolutionary home rule has aroused great international interest, and amongst others the UN sees the "Greenlandic model" as a possibility in areas where there are clashes of interest between former colonial powers and colonies as well as in areas with minority conflicts.

The municipalities Greenland was divided into 18 "kommuner" or municipalities whose structure consisted of a town and a number of settlements. The main town normally has the largest number of residents; by rough breakdown, these populations start at about 1,000 or more. In 2009 this changed so they now have only 4 municipalities.

Greenland and the EU In the 1972 referendum, a majority voted against joining the EU, but owing to the election result in Denmark, Greenland ended up joining the Community all the same.

For a people whose economy and entire survival is inextricably caught up with the resources of the sea, it was untenable to have all administration managed from Europe. This groundswell of opinion generated a movement against EU membership and on February 1st 1985 - after the home rule system had been established - a referendum released Greenland from EU

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

membership.

Tourism Greenland has chosen to commit as one of the country's mainstay industries. And with such magnificent natural scenery, a clean environment, an original culture and such potential for activity, Greenland will be an attractive travel destination in the years to come.

Trade and Industry Sealing, and walrus were once the mainstay of life for the Greenlandic population, and today these activities are still the only - or most important - source of income for approx. 2,500 people. The seal is the most important bagging animal, and most skins are processed at the Great Greenland tannery, which also manufactures sealskin furs both for the domestic market and export. The bans from EU and the USA of seal products have hit small communities very hard.

In North and East Greenland particularly, sealing and hunting play a large role, just as traditional home craft work is kept alive. It is important to realize that hunting is done for the sake of the meat. The sale of skins is only a by-product. That is also why only fully-grown animals are hunted in Greenland.

The fishing trade is modern-day Greenland's principal livelihood, and fish exports account for 85% of Greenland's total export of goods. The most important export markets are the EU and Asia. Royal Greenland is the brand.

Sheep farming and agriculture employ about 100 families in lush South Greenland.

Religion The church in Greenland is part of the Danish "Folkekirken" or National Evangelical Lutheran Church. There are churches in all towns, while the villages have church halls in which services are held regularly, normally in Greenlandic. A number of other religious communities are also represented.

A visit to a Greenlandic church is a natural part of any stay in Greenland, and the local tourist offices can be of assistance if the church turns out to be locked.

Please be aware that throughout Greenland there is a general ban on taking photos in churches and church halls during religious services and other ministrations.

The old Danish names for the towns in Greenland:

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191

Qaanaaq: Thule : Upernavik: Upernavik : : Godhavn : Jakobshavn : Christianshåb : Egedesminde : Kangatsiak : Søndre Strømfjord (US: Sondrestrom) Sisimiut: Holsteinsborg Maniitsoq: Sukkertoppen Nuuk: Godthåb : Frederikshåb : Narsaq : Julianehåb Ammassalik/: Angmagssalik : Scoresbysund

Ilulissat Icebergs are called 'Ilulissat' in Greenlandic, and it comes as no surprise to anyone who has been here that this is the town's name. Ilulissat is beautifully situated at the mouth of the 45-kilometre ice fjord filled with enormous icebergs produced by the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The largest icebergs strand at the mouth - at depths of 250 to 300 meters - and do not break free until the next spring tide, or until they are so eroded that the balance shifts.

4,500 people live in Ilulissat and about the same amount of sled dogs. This is an eloquent statement of the importance of the dogsled as a means of transport, even in a large modern town. The harbour is filled with fishing vessels and trawlers that bear witness to the great importance of fishing to the town. Only a couple of kilometres from the town is the lush valley that extends down to the ice fjord. In 1727, this was the site of Greenland's largest settlement of 250 people. Excavations have since shown that the beautiful valley had been inhabited for thousands of years.

North of Ilulissat lays the settlement of (Rodebay) where some of the old houses from the colonial period are today fitted up as a youth hostel and restaurant. After sailing north for another couple of hours, you arrive at the impressive Eqi glacier, where it is possible to spend the night in modern cabins.

Grönlandsresor AB, Rastaholms Allé 27, 178 90 Ekerö, SWEDEN www.gronlandsresor.se [email protected] phone: +46 (0)8-556 269 70, Org nr: 556671-4191