But What About Greenland?

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But What About Greenland? is a blog post published on September 5, 2014 by Tim Urban on his blog Wait But Why. The post sought to educate readers about Greenland by sharing numerous fascinating facts about the little-known country and recounting Urban's experiences from his recent visit there. 
Greenland had been a topic of curiosity for Urban, who would often gaze at maps and wonder about the large, mysterious land mass situated above the Arctic circle. When readers of his Odd Things in Odd Places survey voted for Greenland as his destination over Norway and Iceland, Urban seized the opportunity to finally satisfy his inquisitiveness. 
The article begins by providing geographic and climatic context for Greenland. It notes Greenland's position relative to the Arctic circle results in extremes of daylight hours depending on the time of year. Detailed statistics are given about average temperatures and sunlight variation across different regions. Greenland's origins as part of the supercontinent Pangaea hundreds of millions of years ago are also discussed.
Considerable attention is paid to Greenland's massive ice sheet, said to weigh over 2.5 quadrillion tons. Its thickness of up to 3km is illustrated through comparisons to tall structures. Potential sea level rise impacts of a full melt are quantified. Recent calving events of exceptionally large icebergs are documented. 
Moving to the human geography, population data for towns situated along the narrow coastal fringes is analyzed. Details are given about the Inuit ancestry of most residents and the dual linguistic heritage of Greenlandic and Danish. Fishing, particularly of shrimp, dominates the economy. Socioeconomic issues like high suicide rates are also touched upon.
In describing Greenland's flora and fauna, the article focuses extensively on the country's numerous sled dogs, vital for transportation. Their appearance, behaviors and historical domestication are expounded upon. 
Examples are then shown of Greenlandic words to exemplify the linguistic isolation of the Inuit language family. Urban's alarming personal experiences with unexplained phenomena such as human bones and local supernatural figures add an aura of mystery.
The piece covers two especially unusual incidents from Urban's travels - his encounter with a sprawling family network centered around the matriarch Berthelina during a homestay in the tiny town of Oqaatsut, and uncovering Greenland's unconventional role in the Christmas tradition of children writing to Santa. 
In summarizing Greenland's appeal, Urban's article succeeds in conveying both its surreal, unfamiliar qualities as well as the admirable perseverance of those who have long called this Ice Island home. Its original research and entertaining anecdotes provide enlightening insights into an oft-overlooked country.
== Full post ==
https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/09/but-what-about-greenland.html
Category:Archive posts
Category:Odd Things in Odd Places