The history of Greenland?s postal service has been tightly linked to its former mother country Denmark. Approximately 50 years after European settlement on Greenland, the government-controlled ?Kongelige Grønlanske Handel? (KGH) obtained the monopoly for the postal service. However, the first stamps valid across all of Greenland, three parcel postage stamps, were not issued until 1905. The stamps, produced in Denmark, show Greenland?s emblem, a standing polar bear, as the central motif. In 1938, Greenland?s complete postal service was taken over by the Royal Danish Postal Service. The first stamps depicted the Danish King Christian X. instead of using designs suggested by the Greenlanders, i.e. Northern Lights, seal and polar bear motifs. Those were not published until 2001. On average, Post Greenland issues 15 new stamps per year. Over the years, several series on flowers, butterflies, whales, on cultural heritage and on famous expeditions have been produced.