| Bibliographic Entry | Result (w/surrounding text) |
Standardized Result |
|---|---|---|
| New Book of Popular Science. Volume 2. Danbury: Grolier, 1996: 261. | "The massive Greenland ice cap averages 2.3 kilometers in thickness." | 2.3 km (average) |
| New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 5. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998: 472. | "It extends 1,570 miles (2,530 km) north-south, has a maximum width of 680 miles (1,094 km) near its northern margin, and has an average thickness of about 5,000 feet (1,500 m)." | 1.5 km (average) |
| Lambert, David. Field Guide To Geology. New York: Diagram Visual, 1988: 154. | "Most of Greenland lies beneath an ice cap twice the size of Australia and up to 14,000 ft (4,300 m) thick." | 4.3 km (thickest) |
| Dixon, Dougal. Macmillan Encyclopedia of Science. Volume 3. New York: Macmillan, 1977: 38. | "Toward its center, the Greenland ice-sheet has been shown to be 3,000 m (9,840 ft.) thick." | 3 km (thickest) |
| Climbing Into The Greenland Ice Cap. National Tourism Board of Greenland. | "At its thickest points the ice has a depth of more than 3 km to the bedrock." | 3 km (thickest) |
Greenland, officially Kalaallit Nunaat, is the largest island in the world, lying mainly within the Arctic Circle off northeast Canada. It is a self-governing overseas division of Denmark. The capital is Nuuk (formerly Godthab). More than four fifths of Greenland lies buried under an ice cap that has an average thickness of 2.8 kilometers. The area of Greenland is about 840,000 square miles (2,175,000 square kilometers). It is about 1,650 miles (2,650 kilometers) long, with a maximum width of some 650 miles (1,050 kilometers). Its people, however, live only on the rocky coastal fringe, chiefly in the southwest.
Lying to the northeast of continental North America and almost wholly within the Arctic Circle, Greenland is subject to intense cold and terrible blizzards. Glaciers flow from Greenland's icy mountains and discharge a billion tons of ice into the sea every year. Many of these enormous icebergs are carried into the lanes of ocean travel.
Some sections of Greenland have enough soil and warmth to support tundra vegetation and small trees. Potatoes and other hardy vegetables are grown. Greenlanders, who are Eskimo with a mixture of European blood, live chiefly by hunting and fishing. They must import much of their food, clothing, and other necessities. Sheep raising and fish canning are growing industries. Exports include cryolite, a scarce mineral used in separating aluminum from its ores; fish and fish products; and hides and skins. Recently lead and zinc have been mined and molybdenum and large uranium deposits discovered.
In spite of hundreds of years of Scandinavian influence, many of the island's people continue to practice traditional cultural activities. Their houses were formerly of stone and sod, but wood, which must be imported, is the modern material. A few Eskimo build igloos for the winter or when traveling. Nearly all settlements have schools, and all children are required to have elementary education.
Gennady Spivak -- 2000