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Population of Greenland
On 1 January 2005, Greenland's population was 56,989, of whom 47,000 live in towns with the remainder living in small settlements up and down the east and, in particular, the west coast. Approximately 15,000 inhabitants live in the growing arctic capital Nuuk. The second largest city is Sisimiut (5,400), followed by Ilulissat (4,500) and Qaqortoq (3,200). Greenlandic settlements are defined by having between 50 - 500 inhabitants.
The ethnic Greenlanders are descendants of the Inuits (Eskimos), a people who now live on the Russian Chukota Peninsula and in Alaska, Canada and Greenland. The Eskimo first migrated to Greenland approximately 4-5,000 years ago and has been migrating to Greenland in separate "waves" of different Inuit cultures. The people living in Greenland today are descendents of the last migration (the Thule Culture), which took place around year 900-1000 AD.
A migration of Norse settlers also took place around year 1000 AD and came from Iceland and Norway. It is the only race whose arrival in Greenland can be precisely dated, i.e. the year 982 AD, when Erik the Red set foot in South Greenland. The last that was heard of the Norse settlers, who were primarily farmers, was from reports of a wedding held in Hvalsey Church in 1408.
There are still many signs of the existence of these two early cultures of Greenland. Ruins of the first Christian churches built on the North American continent can be found in South Greenland.
The Greenlanders call themselves "Kalaallit" and are an indigenous Inuit people - Inuit meaning "human being". Inuit constitute 85 % of the population while the remaining is primarily of Danish descent.
For more information regarding the history of Greenland, please visit http://www.greenland.com/
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