Why Greenland Has Only One Paved Road? A Drive from Ivittuut to Kangilinnguit
Located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Greenland is the world's largest island. Due to the country's landscape, with mountains, fjords, and glaciers, there are no roads between settlements on the entire island, only within and around them.
Why Are There No Roads in Greenland?
The population of Greenland is about 56,000 people. Most of them live in small, scattered communities along the coast. With a low population, rugged terrain, an ice cap (the Greenland Ice Sheet covers about 80% of the island), and the presence of permafrost creating unstable ground conditions, it’s very complicated to build and maintain roads.
How Long Is the Only Road in Greenland?
Because of the challenging conditions, there’s only one paved road in the whole country. It runs south-north from Ivittuut (an abandoned mining town near Cape Desolation) to Kangilinnguit (a settlement and location of a former naval base). Tucked away in the southwestern part of Greenland, the road is 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long. In winters, the road is usually impassable due to snow.
Pic: https://www.taringa.net/posts/imagenes/16780481/Sabias-esto-de-Groenlandia.html