Information About Greenland
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INFORMATION ABOUT GREENLAND 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 time zone 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 whale is swimming beside the boat or if you’re out fishing 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 Nuuk 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, reindeer 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, whales or walrus are listed as endangered species. The language Greenlandic is an Eskimo language quite unlike other languages. The Inuit peoples of Canada, USA and Russia speak varieties of a language that is quite similar, but no common written Eskimo language exists. Compared with other Inuits 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 Sisimiut, Maniitsoq 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 Qaanaaq (Thule) area in the very north west of Greenland, where the dialect is again completely different. In South Greenland and in the Upernavik 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.