Greenland (Greenlandic: Kalaallit Nunaat, pronounced [kalaË É¬it
nunaË t]; Danish: Grønland, pronounced [ˈkÊ É¶nËŒlænË€]) is the
world's largest island,[d] located between the Arctic and Atlantic
oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is an autonomous
territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Though physiographically a
part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically
and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and
Denmark, the colonial powers, as well as the nearby island of Iceland)
for more than a millennium. The majority of its residents are Inuit,
whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada,
gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.Nowadays, the
population is largely concentrated on the southwest coast, while the
rest of the island is sparsely populated. Greenland is divided into
five municipalities â€" Sermersooq, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, and
Avannaata. It has two unincorporated areas â€" the Northeast Greenland
National Park and the Thule Air Base. The latter, while under Danish
control, is administered by the United States Air Force.
Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet
outside of Antarctica. With a population of 56,081 (2020), it is the
least densely populated region in the world. About a third of the
population lives in Nuuk, the capital and largest city; the
second-largest city in terms of population is Sisimiut, 320 kilometres
(200 mi) north of Nuuk. The Arctic Umiaq Line ferry acts as a lifeline
for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and
settlements.Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least
the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there
from what is now Canada. Norsemen settled the uninhabited southern
part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously
settled Iceland. These Norsemen later set sail from Greenland and
Iceland, with Leif Erikson becoming the first known European to reach
North America nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean
islands. Inuit peoples arrived in the 13th century. Though under
continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not
formally under the Norwegian crown until 1261. The Norse colonies
disappeared in the late 15th century when Norway was hit by the Black
Death and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning
in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island,
naming it Terra do Lavrador (later applied to Labrador in Canada).
nunaË t]; Danish: Grønland, pronounced [ˈkÊ É¶nËŒlænË€]) is the
world's largest island,[d] located between the Arctic and Atlantic
oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is an autonomous
territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Though physiographically a
part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically
and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and
Denmark, the colonial powers, as well as the nearby island of Iceland)
for more than a millennium. The majority of its residents are Inuit,
whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada,
gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.Nowadays, the
population is largely concentrated on the southwest coast, while the
rest of the island is sparsely populated. Greenland is divided into
five municipalities â€" Sermersooq, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, and
Avannaata. It has two unincorporated areas â€" the Northeast Greenland
National Park and the Thule Air Base. The latter, while under Danish
control, is administered by the United States Air Force.
Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet
outside of Antarctica. With a population of 56,081 (2020), it is the
least densely populated region in the world. About a third of the
population lives in Nuuk, the capital and largest city; the
second-largest city in terms of population is Sisimiut, 320 kilometres
(200 mi) north of Nuuk. The Arctic Umiaq Line ferry acts as a lifeline
for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and
settlements.Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least
the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there
from what is now Canada. Norsemen settled the uninhabited southern
part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously
settled Iceland. These Norsemen later set sail from Greenland and
Iceland, with Leif Erikson becoming the first known European to reach
North America nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean
islands. Inuit peoples arrived in the 13th century. Though under
continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not
formally under the Norwegian crown until 1261. The Norse colonies
disappeared in the late 15th century when Norway was hit by the Black
Death and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning
in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island,
naming it Terra do Lavrador (later applied to Labrador in Canada).
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