The illusion of isolation

If you want to be anonymous, Greenland might seem like a good idea. Greenland’s towns and settlements are so small, so remote, so distant from each other. You could easily be fooled that this is a place you might find solitude, isolation, privacy. But you’d probably be wrong.

Greenland has a population of fifty six thousand people. Yes, that’s right. And those people are spread as thinly as possible. Greenland is the least-densely populated country in the world by a huge margin. It is more than an order of magnitude less-densely populated than the next least-densely populated nation, which is Mongolia. Greenland has about one person for approximately every eight square kilometres. And once you factor in the idea that people, everywhere, like to live together – most Greenlanders are clustered into small settlements and towns – it follows that there is an awful lot, and I mean an awful lot, of unpopulated space in Greenland. And that isn’t even the full picture. These statistics only account for the area of Greenland not covered by the inland ice, which is not prime real estate, I grant you. But if you included the full areal extent of Greenland, then we’re talking another order of magnitude less-densely populated – about one person per forty square kilometres.

So why can’t you be anonymous in Greenland? It’s because there are so few people. Everyone knows everyone.

When I showed up in Narsarssuaq today with a Greenlandic colleague from Qasigiannguit, a town of about a thousand people that is about a thousand kilometres away, up the west coast of Greenland, a local Greenlander tilted his head curiously at my colleague. The ensuing discussion established that this man, whose wife was from the Qasigiannguit, knew my colleague’s mum. That’s pretty normal.

As a foreigner, you may be more likely to remain anonymous. But not necessarily. Greenland is a popular destination for the super-rich, specifically because they are unlikely to be mobbed by fans. Tourism for the super-rich is a growing industry here. A few years ago Bill Gates came on a heli-skiing holiday to Greenland. He wore sunglasses and a hat and introduced himself to everyone as William. Everyone played along. Greenlanders are very nice pople. But everyone knew who he was. And even if you’re not famous, you will be noticed.

So sit back, relax, enjoy your solitude. And rest assured, the locals are keeping an eye you.