Greenland is the world's largest island. Geographically it belongs to North America, but politically to Europe. Greenland's official name is Kalaallit Nunaat meaning Greenlanders country.

Climate

Ice

Ice cover over 85 percent of Greenland. It was formed 2-3 million years ago when the climate suddenly became colder. The snow lay over a long period it was converted into ice. On the thickest places are ice over 3,000 feet thick.

History

Starting in around 1000 came the Norse settlers from Norway and Iceland to Greenland, led by Erik the Red. From Greenland discovered Eirik the Red's son Leif Ericson North America which he called Vinland.

The Scandinavian immigrants brought houses and subsisted mainly on livestock, range, agricultural, and especially hunting and fishing. It was built churches and established a Norwegian bishop's seat. Greenland's bishop's chair functioned until shipping to Norway subsided in the 1400s.

It is uncertain when the Inuit (also often referred to as Eskimos), wandered in from the Canadian islands, but archaeological evidence suggests that this happened after the Norse settlement settled. It is still unclear what happened to the Norse settlement. Several possible explanations have been put forward:

Climate change and overpopulation, combined with the barren earth will slowly destroying livelihoods. Other explanations emphasize the possible epidemics, internal strife and attacks by pirates or Inuit. The most exotic theory is that the Norse inhabitants in the 1400s was kidnapped by Portuguese pirates who land put the prisoners on Tenerife, where they went on living as slaves on sugar plantations. This theory is strengthened by the fact that the incidence of multiple sclerosis today is considerably higher here than in other parts of Spain. The disease is known to often to frame people with Nordic-genetic lineage.

Perhaps the answer to the riddle lies in a combination of the aforementioned reasons. It is not impossible that the inhabitants gradually returned to either Iceland or Norway.

In 1814 the union between Denmark and Norway dissolved as a result of Kiel Treaty, and Norway was forced into a new union with Sweden. The old Norwegian tax countries Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, however, not followed by Norway, but was kept by Denmark, and was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was a normal amt. The Danish parliament decided to give the Greenland Home Rule in 1978, with effect from 1 May 1979.

Norway occupied parts of eastern Greenland during the period 10 July 1931-1933, and called this area Eirik the Red's Land which was then ruled by a governor. Denmark appealed the case before the Permanent Court of International Justice, and Norway lost the case in a ruling on the 5th April 1933 which led to Norway then pulled out.

25. November 2008 voted a clear majority of citizens yes to increased independence from Denmark. [1] Although the Board will be expanded from 21 June 2009