Thus the snow that falls on Greenland slowly but surely finds its way to the sea, where it melts and returns to the never-ending water cycle, perhaps to fall once again on Greenland. Home rule was instituted in 1979, which was preceeded by Greenland becoming part of the Kingdom of Denmark, no longer a colony in 1953. However, Denmark retains control of foreign affairs, and Greenlanders are Danish citizens. Todaymore than four-fifths of the population are native Greenlanders, mostly descended from Inuit with a mixture of early European settlers. The remainder are largely Danes.
Settlement is limited to the coastal fringe.
Sheep and reindeer are raised in the extreme south where hay can be grown during the summer for fodder. Fishing has displaced seal hunting as the leading industry. It is largely state-financed, as are the onshore canning and freezing plants. Greenland's mineral resources are large but difficult to exploit. Mining of the world's largest cryolite deposits was abandoned as uneconomic in 1963.