Greenland

HISTORY

The inhabitants of Greenland originated from Central Asia.

Inhabited by indigenous peoples since 2500 BC (though not continuously), since the 18th century Greenland has been part of Denmark.

The Inuit and Vikings colonized Greenland multiple times, but they often missed the other and found the ruins of the other's attempt. Their first contact finally happened in the 1200s, with Inuits colonizing the Vikings.

It is said that Eric the Red gave Greenland its misleading name in an attempt to entice settlers..The Viking had been exiled to Greenland when convicted of manslaughter in Iceland.

English sea captain and privateer, Martin Frobisher, sighted Greenland in July 1576 during his third expedition voyage with 15 ships.

Frisland was a "phantom" island off the coast of Greenland which, despite being nonexistent, was charted on nearly every map of the North Atlantic from the 1560s to the 1660s.

Greenland's capital city, Nuuk, then known as the fort of Godt-Haab, was founded by the Dano-Norwegian governor Claus Paarss on August 29, 1728 when he relocated Hans Egede's earlier Hope Colony (Haabets Koloni) to the mainland, The city officially adopted its current name in 1979.

Nuuk with the Sermitsiaq mountain in background

The United States occupied Greenland during World War II to prevent it from being captured by the Nazis and constructed Thule Air Base. After the war ended, they offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100,000,000, but Denmark refused to sell. The United States unsuccessfully tried again in 2019 due to its strategic location in the Arctic.

The 1946 United States proposal to buy Greenland from Denmark remained classified until the 1970s, when Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten broke the story.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became a country. It attained home rule in 1979.

In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community with Denmark. However, in a referendum in 1982, a majority of the population voted for Greenland to withdraw from the EEC, which was effected three years later.

 In 2008, Greenland held a referendum in which the majority of Greenlandic voters expressed their desire for increased self-rule. The referendum resulted in the adoption of the Self-Government Act, which came into effect on June 21, 2009.

Under this new structure, Greenland gained greater autonomy from the Danish government. While Denmark still maintains control over foreign affairs and defense, the local Greenlandic government assumed responsibility for various other areas of governance, including justice, police, natural resources, and the environment.

The Self-Government Act granted Greenland the authority to establish its own parliament, known as the Inatsisartut, and government, referred to as the Naalakkersuisut. The Naalakkersuisut is responsible for managing domestic affairs, such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic development.

The Hvalsey Church, which was the first Christian church on the continent, is one of best preserved Norse ruins.

DEMOGRAPHICS

With 56,492 people, Greenland is the world's most sparsely populated country.

Of its population of just under 57,000, about 15,000 of whom live in the capital Nuuk.

The largest town in southern Greenland is Qaqortoq, which has been occupied for about 4,300 years.

The official languages of the country are Greenlandic and Danish, though English is widely understood.

One in every five people in Greenland attempts to kill themselves at some point in their lifetimes.

GEOGRAPHY

Greenland is the world's largest island that is not a continent. Put differently, it's the world's fifth largest land mass.

One reason why Greenland is considered the largest island and Australia is a continent not an island (even it fits the definition of an island to be entirely surrounded by water) is because Greenland is a part of the North American plate and Australia has its own separate tectonic plate.

Almost 80 percent of the land mass is covered by an ice cap and glaciers. Though a minority of land, the ice-free area is nearly as large as Sweden.

The Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the biggest glacier outside of Antarctica.

The only natural forest in Greenland is in Qinngua Valley in southern Greenland, only 9 miles (14.5 kms)  long. The surrounding local geography protects the valley floor just enough to support the tree growth despite the sub-Arctic climate.

The country is geographically part of North America, but politically is part of Europe.

There are a number of hot springs that attract visitors throughout the year to their balmy temperatures averaging between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Greenlands five municipalities are named ''Much Ice'', ''South'', ''Center'', ''The one with islands'', and ''Northern'', if you directly translate it from Greenlandic to English.

POLITICS

The government is a constitutional monarchy, with a 31-member unicameral parliament called Landsting and a premier. The country sends two representatives to the Danish Folketing. The nominal head of state is the Danish monarch.

Danish krone is the currency of Greenland.

FUN FACTS

The name Greenland means "Land of People."

The names of the territories of Greenland translate to "much ice", "center", "south" and "darkness".

The country's flag has a polar bear in a blue shield - the polar bear is meant to symbolize the fauna of Greenland and the blue represents the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

The sun does not set from May 25th to July 25th. June 21, the longest day of the year, is a national holiday.

July is the only month when Greenland's temperature reaches above freezing.

"Kayak" and "igloo" are Greenlandic words that have been adopted directly by other languages.

Soccer is the national sport of Greenland but they’re not allowed to join FIFA. This is because Greenland cannot sustain a grass pitch due to the permafrost which envelops the country.

Sources Radio Times, Daily Express, Hurtigruten.com/