Google Street View has arrived to the northern island of Greenland, the massive piece of land in the Arctic Sea that is covered in ice for six months per year.
As reported by VentureBeat, Google has put together a portfolio of images from its trip to the region. And it is stunning.
Google has worked in partnership with two government agencies, Visit Greenland and Asiaq, to shoot the 360-degree, panoramic pictures.
Greenland is the biggest island in the world, and lays between the north of the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean.
In case you were wondering, here is where Greenland is: just north-east of Canada. Most of Google’s shots are from the very south of the island, which is sparsely populated.
About 56,000 people live in Greenland, most in its capital city Nuuk. Politically, Greenland is a former province of Denmark, gaining its status as an autonomous dependent territory in 1979.
The large island is strategically very important for America’s defence system.
Inside Nuuk there is a statue dedicated to Hans Egede, who founded the city in 1728.
This is what remains of the first Viking colony, set up by Erik the Red in 982. It is now a major tourist attraction.
The rest of the country is wild and unpopulated. And the landscapes are gorgeous.
One of the best ways to explore Greenland is by boat, cruising among its fjords. Google did the same when shooting its pictures.
In some of the pictures you can see the crew from the boat that was carrying the camera. You can also spot the mainland in the background.
The highest peak, Gunnbjørns Fjeld, stands out at 3,695 metres.
Three-quarters of the island is covered in ice. For this reason, much of the surrounding sea is full of icebergs and ice blocks.
It tends to be very cold up there: the average temperature varies from −8 to 7 °C, but in 1954 it was recorded -66 °C.
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