| Northeast Greenland National Park | |
|---|---|
 Franz Josef Fjord, glacier. The orange colour is caused by reflected sunlight. | |
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| Location |  Greenland ( Kingdom of Denmark) |
| Nearest city | Nunatami |
| Coordinates | 76°N30°W / 76°N 30°W /76; -30 |
| Area | 972,000 km2 (375,000 sq mi) |
| Established | 21 May 1974 |
| Visitors | >500 Yearly |
Northeast Greenland National Park (Greenlandic:Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq,Danish:Grønlands Nationalpark) is the world's largestnational park and the 10thlargest protected area (the only larger protected areas consist mostly of sea).[1] Established in 1974, the Northeast Greenland national park expanded to its present size in 1988. It protects 972,000 km2 (375,000 sq mi)[2] of the interior and northeastern coast ofGreenland and is larger than the area ofTanzania, but smaller than that ofEgypt. This means that the national park is bigger than166 of the world's 195 countries. It was the firstnational park to be created in the Kingdom of Denmark and remains Greenland's only national park. It is the northernmost national park in the world and the second-largest by area of any second-level subdivision of any country in the world, trailing only theQikiqtaaluk Region inNunavut, Canada.
The park shares borders, largely laid out asstraight lines, with theSermersooq municipality in the south and with theAvannaata municipality in the west, partly along the45° Westmeridian on the ice cap. The large interior of the park is part of theGreenland Ice Sheet, but there are also large ice-free areas along the coast and onPeary Land in the north. The park includes theKing Frederick VIII Land andKing Christian X Land geographical areas.
Originally established on 22 May 1974 from the northern, practically uninhabited part of the formerIttoqqortoormiit Municipality inTunu (East Greenland), in 1988, the park was expanded by another 272,000 km2 (105,000 sq mi) to its present size, adding the northeastern part of the former county ofAvannaa (North Greenland). In January 1977, it was designated aninternational biosphere reserve. The park is overseen by the Greenland Department of Environment and Nature. The historical research camps on the ice sheet—Eismitte andNorth Ice—fall within the boundaries of the present-day park.
The park has no permanent human population, although 400 sites see occasional summertime use. In 1986, the population of the park was 40, living atMestersvig. These 40 were involved in cleanup and closeout operations at mining exploration sites and soon left. Since then, censuses have recorded zero permanent human population. In 2008, only 31 people and about 110 dogs were present over winter in North East Greenland, distributed among the following stations (all on the coast, exceptSummit Camp):[3][4]
During summer, scientists add to these numbers. The research stationZackenberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO; located at74°28′11″N20°34′15″W / 74.469725°N 20.570847°W /74.469725; -20.570847) can cater for over 20 scientists and station personnel.
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An estimated 5,000 to 15,000musk oxen, as well as numerouspolar bears andwalrus, can be found near the coastal regions of the park. In 1993, this was estimated to be 40% of the world population of musk oxen. Other mammals includeArctic fox,stoat,collared lemming,Arctic hare and a small but important population ofGreenland wolf. Other marine mammals includeringed seal,bearded seal,harp seal andhooded seal as well asnarwhal andbeluga whale.[5]
Species of birds which breed in the park includegreat northern diver,barnacle goose,pink-footed goose,common eider,king eider,gyrfalcon,snowy owl,sanderling,ptarmigan andraven.[5]
Places adjacent to Northeast Greenland National Park | ||||||||||||||||
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Administrative divisions of Greenland(since 2018) | ||
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| Municipalities |  | |
| Unincorporated areas | ||
