Greenland's Mining Bonanza Still A Distant Promise

The vast Arctic island is full of promise for mineral wealth but has proven difficult to exploit. (Credit: AFP)

Before it could cast its first gold bar, Amaroq had to build a port and housing, repair a road, and ship over equipment -- a logistical nightmare highlighting the complexities of mining in inhospitable Greenland.

"This is obviously much, much harder than setting up any other business around the world," Eldur Olafsson, the head of the Canadian mining company, told AFP.