Greenlanders are a people of mixed ancestry, primarily Inuit and European, especially Danish-Norwegian. The total population of Greenland (2001 estimate) is 56,352. Nearly all the population is located on the narrow southwestern coastal fringe. The capital, Nuuk, formerly known as Godthåb (1994 population, 12,483), is located on the southwestern coast. Nuuk is the largest and oldest Danish settlement on the island, having been founded in 1721. Holsteinsborg (also called Sisimiut; 1994 population, 4,839), on the western coast just north of the Arctic Circle, is the second largest town. Other settlements include Julianehåb (Qaqortoq), Frederikshåb (Paamiut), and Narsaq (Narssaq), on the southern coast; Thule (Qaanaaq), on the northwestern coast; and Ammassalik (Angmagssalik), on the eastern coast.

Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 7 and 14. About 85 school centers were in operation in 1992, instructing primarily in Greenlandic (an Inuit language with some Danish words). Danish, the other official language of Greenland, is also used in the schools. A university is located at Nuuk.