i'm guessing greenland is the one country that closes all borders and establishes quarantine before enough of the population can be infected? in the game i play, it's madagascar :)

Yes, but even when I'm spreading under radar, Greenland is always the LAST country to be infected. And closing borders makes it even more annoying.

I start with Canada first, even though it's slower, boats go to Greenland.

Good point, I'll try there. It is also a cold country, so the plague would be naturally used to cold climates, increasing infectivity in Greenland