Greenland is a massive, ice-covered island hiding a sunken landscape beneath its frozen surface.

Nature · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: As the world’s largest island, Greenland is defined by an immense ice sheet that blankets over four-fifths of its land. This frozen expanse is so heavy it actually depresses the island's central bedrock below sea level, creating a hidden, bowl-like geography that remains largely concealed beneath the ice.

Covering more than 700,000 square miles, the Greenland Ice Sheet is second only to Antarctica in scale. It reaches a staggering maximum thickness of about 10,000 feet, with an average depth of 5,000 feet. This weight is so profound that if the ice were to vanish, the interior of the island would likely sit below sea level, potentially transforming the land into a massive lake or a series of islands connected by water. The island's coastal edges, however, remain mountainous and rocky, featuring deep fjords and peaks like Gunnbjørn Mountain, which rises to 12,139 feet.

The climate is predominantly Arctic, with the interior remaining frozen year-round. While the Gulf Stream provides a slight moderating influence in the southwest, the island is characterized by rapid weather shifts and limited precipitation, leading some regions to be classified as Arctic deserts. Vegetation is sparse, consisting mainly of tundra plants like sedge, cotton grass, and lichens. Trees are almost entirely absent, save for rare, dwarfed scrub in sheltered southern valleys. This harsh environment supports a specialized range of wildlife, including polar bears, musk oxen, and reindeer, while the surrounding waters remain vital for seals and whales.

In recent decades, the island has become a focal point for climate research. Scientists have observed that the ice sheet is shrinking at an accelerating rate, with record-breaking melt events recorded in years like 2012 and 2016. While researchers continue to study whether these shifts represent a long-term trend, the physical geography of Greenland is clearly in flux. The interaction between the massive ice movement—exemplified by the Jakobshavn Glacier, which can move 100 feet in a single day—and rising global temperatures continues to reshape the island's landscape, highlighting the fragile balance of this remote Arctic territory.

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