Greenland and the North Pole

I had a fascinating time this morning reviewing this map for a customer, especially the side showing the North Pole and all the area within 55-60 degrees latitude. So often on a flat map this area is badly distorted as it is stretched across the top edge of the sheet (unless of course it is an upside down map!), and most globes on stands are fixed by the poles!  However with this map it is possible to see just however the counties in the northern polar region relate to each other, and often how close they are to each other!  It also highlights anomalies, such as why is Greenland administered by Denmark, when geographically and culturally it has much more in common with Canada?  Perhaps someone could answer this for me?