Denmark is the sovereign country associated with Greenland, the world’s largest island.
Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans and is geographically part of North America. It has extensive self-government within the Kingdom of Denmark, which also includes Denmark proper and the Faroe Islands. Greenland gained home rule in 1979 and expanded self-government in 2009.
About 80 percent of Greenland is covered by the Greenland ice sheet, the second-largest ice body on Earth after Antarctica's ice sheet. Most of the population lives along the ice-free southwestern coast, where towns are connected mainly by air and sea rather than roads.
Greenland is not counted as a continent; Australia is generally regarded as the smallest continent. Its political relationship with Denmark can cause confusion because Greenland is geographically distant from Europe and has substantial autonomy. Nuuk is Greenland's capital and largest city.