Greenland

Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaat, "The Land of the Greenlanders (Kalaallit)"; Danish: Grønland) is a self-governed Danish territory. An Arctic island nation located in North America by geography, culture and demographics, Greenland is part of Europe politically. The Atlantic Ocean and Iceland lie to Greenland's Southeast; the Greenland Sea to the East; the Arctic Ocean to the North; Baffin Bay and Canada to the West. Greenland is the world's largest island, and is the largest dependent territory by area in the world. About 81 percent of its surface is covered by ice, known as the Greenlandic ice cap.

History

Greenland was home to a number of Palaeo-Eskimo cultures in prehistory, the latest of which - the Early Dorset culture - disappeared around 200 CE. Hereafter, the island seems to have been without humans for some eight centuries.

Related Topics:
Palaeo-Eskimo - Prehistory - 200

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Icelandic settlers found the land uninhabited when they arrived ca. 982 CE. They established three settlements near the very Southwestern tip of the island, where they thrived for the next few centuries.

Related Topics:
Icelandic - 982

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The name Greenland comes from those Scandinavian settlers. In the Norse sagas, it is said that Eiríkur Rauði (Erik the Red) was exiled from Iceland for murder. He, along with his family and slaves, set out in ships to find the land that was rumored to be to the Northwest. After settling there, he named the land Greenland in order to attract more people to settle there. The fjords of the Southern part of the island are lush. This proved successful, and the settlements seemed to be getting relatively well along with the new coming Inuit, bearers of the Thule culture, who had arrived in Northern Greenland from the West around 1200 CE, and a Christian bishop was sent. In 1386, Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Norway, which was part of the Kalmar Union and later of the double monarchy of Denmark-Norway.

Related Topics:
Scandinavia - Norse saga - Eiríkur Rauði - Iceland - Ship - Fjords - Inuit - Thule - 1200 - 1386 - Kalmar Union - Monarchy - Denmark-Norway

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After almost five hundred years, the settlements simply vanished, probably due to famine during the 15th century in the Little Ice Age, when climatic conditions deteriorated. Bones from this late period were found to be in a condition consistent with malnutrition. Some believe the settlers were wiped out by plague or exterminated by Inuits.

Related Topics:
15th century - Little Ice Age - Plague

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Denmark attained possession of the moribund colony by the Treaty of Kiel in 1815.

Related Topics:
Treaty of Kiel - 1815

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Norway occupied and claimed parts of (then uninhabited) Eastern Greenland in the 1920s, claiming that it constituted Terra nullius. Norway and Denmark agreed to settle the matter at the Permanent Court of International Justice in 1933, where Norway lost.

Related Topics:
Norway - 1920s - Terra nullius - Permanent Court of International Justice - 1933

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Greenland was also called Gruntland ("Ground-land") on early maps. Whether Green is an erroneous transcription of Grunt ("Ground"), which refers to shallow bays, or vice versa, is not known.

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During World War II, Greenland was on its own, the connection to Denmark having been cut on April 9, 1940 when Denmark was occupied by Germany. Through the cryolite from the mine in Ivigtut, Greenland was able to pay for goods bought in the United States and Canada. The manner in which Greenland had been run prior to the war was altered.

Related Topics:
April 9 - 1940 - Germany - Cryolite - Ivigtut - United States - Canada

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The Sirius Patrol, guarding the Northeastern shores of Greenland using dog sleds, was founded in 1941 and participated in defeating the Germans, which gave Denmark a better position in the postwar turmoil. In 1953 Greenland was made an equal part of the Danish Kingdom. In 1979 Greenland took one step further when home rule was granted.

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During the War Eske Brun was governor and ruled the Island via a 1925-law concerning the governing of the Island where, under extreme circumstances, the governors could take control. The other govenor Aksel Svane was transferred to USA as leader of the supply to Greenland commission.

Related Topics:
Eske Brun - USA

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