What and where the...

Greenland, also known as Kalaallit Nunaat, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Lying mostly north of the Arctic Circle, Greenland is separated from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait to the west, and from Iceland by the Strait of Denmark to the east. The largest island in the world, Greenland spans about 2500 km from north to south and 1,000 km from east to west. The coast is around 5,800 km long, and is deeply indented with fiords. Greenland's area is 2,176,000 sq km, of which 84 per cent is ice cap.

The ice cap is the result of thousands of years of snowfall. The snow piles up and compresses the underlying snow into hard ice. This entire mass of ice flows toward the coast just fast enough to balance the snowfall. At its centre, the ice can be up to 3 km thick, representing 10 percent of the world's total fresh water reserves. If all the ice were to melt, the world's oceans would rise seven meters.

Greenland experiences 24-hour summer daylight contrasting with long, dark Arctic winters. The early-summer temperatures on the icecap range from -30°C to 0°C. Days are frequently sunny, though changeable. Violent blizzards are common right through the summer months.

Transport in Greenland outside the major towns is by helicopter, skidoo, boat or dogsled. Apart from short roads between some close towns, roads are absent in Greenland due to the rugged, fjorded coast and overwhelming dominance of ice. This situation, coupled with the Scandinavian currency, makes travel and logistics within Greenland very expensive for an expedition. For example, short helicopter transfers can cost in the thousands of Australian dollars.

And who lives there...

Greenland’s earliest inhabitants migrated from North America around 5000 years ago. They used stone tools and were the first people to cope with Greenland’s severe Arctic climate. Soon after arrived the Dorsets, who created the Inuit myths and legends that survive to the present day. In about 900 AD, the Thule people arrived and were soon followed by Norseman settling on the eastern and southern coasts. Today, most Greenlanders are Inuit and Danish, surviving on the industries of fishing and (increasingly) tourism. Life in Greenland is basic, with difficulties imposed on transport and services by the formidable iciness and weather of the island. For many Greenlanders, huskies and sleds are the only way to get around. Skidoos and helicopters offer faster transport – but are very expensive. As Danish citizens, the Greenlandic people now have ordinary civic rights and their general state of health and educational facilities are very good.

And who's crossed it...

The first Australian Greenland crossing was completed by John Rymill in the 1930s. Since then, expeditions from various nations have occurred, mainly since the late 1990s. Of all these traverses, four (including Rymill's) are known to have been by Australians. This May, we are set to become the youngest Australians to ski across the icecap.