F rozenIsland Greenland is the world’s largest island It sits in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland to the east and the islands of the Canadian north to the west Most of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle Its northern tip is only 500 miles from the North Pole The capital city is Nuuk Greenland is almost entirely covered in ice In some places the ice is 10,000 feet thick Some of the ice is so deep that it is actually below the level of the sea around the island The people live on the seacoast highlands that are free of ice Greenland’s open land is called tundra There are very few trees Grasses grasslike plants called sedges and mosslike lichens are the main plants The weather in Greenland is cold and may change quickly from sunshine to blizzards Normal winter temperatures are 21 F in the south and 31 F in the north Even in the warmest parts of the island summer temperatures hover around 45 F Aside from people only seven kinds of mammals brave Greenland’s cold weather on land They are polar bears musk-oxen reindeer arctic foxes snow hares ermines and lemmings Seals and whales gather in the ocean waters and Greenlanders once depended on them for food Nowadays they are more likely to fish for cod salmon flounder and halibut Most Greenlanders are of Inuit Eskimo heritage They moved there from North America between 4000 BC and AD 1000 In the early 1700s Denmark colonized Greenland and the Danes still control it today LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES CANADA NORTH AMERICA OTTAWA CANADA Nuuk 8
GREENLAND DID YOU KNOW The first European settlement in Greenland was founded in 986 by the Viking explorer Erik the Red About 15 years later his son Leif Eriksson sailed west from Greenland and became one of the first Europeans to reach North America S EA R C H LIG H T Most of the people in Greenland live in small towns near the coast Nadja Fotolia Most of Greenland’s surface is covered by a rice b ice c trees Answer b ice 9
T h e Landof L ongWinters Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of land size after Russia But it has fewer people than many other countries that are much smaller This is because much of Canada is a very cold place with long winters In the northern islands it is often freezing cold even in summer Canada has a low population for its size It is one of the world’s wealthier countries Much of the country’s wealth lies in its many mines and forests Minerals such as coal copper nickel and iron ore are found in the mines Farming is also very important Canada grows a large amount of grain It sells a lot of wheat and other products to other countries Most Canadians live in towns and cities Toronto is the largest city in Canada If you went there you could see one of the world’s tallest structures the CN Tower soaring above the skyline Montreal is one of Canada’s oldest cities and has many historical buildings It also has an important seaport even though it is nearly 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean Canada’s official languages are English and French But many other languages are spoken there including Inukitut the language of the Inuit or Eskimos and other Canadian Indian languages Canadian Indians Ottawa S EA R C H LIG H T are also known as First Nations people If you visit Canada you should try to see Niagara Falls These beautiful waterfalls on the border between Canada and the United States were once one of the most famous honeymoon spots in North America LEARN MORE READ THESE ARTICLES NORTH AMERICA OTTAWA CANADA QUEBEC CANADA Banff National Park in Alberta is one of Canada’s major tourist destinations David Muench Corbis What is the only country larger than Canada 10
CANADA l D I D YO U K N O W l M a n i t o b a o n H u d s o n B a y led the polar bear Churchi is sometimes cal capital of the world Every fal thousands of bears gather along the it to freeze so that shore waiting for ice to they can walk out onto the hunt seals l Answer Russia
