When was Greenland colonized? Erik the Red, or Erik Thorvaldsson from Scandinavia, is credited with being the first European to settle the island in the 10thcentury, after being exiled.The Inuits arrived in the13thcentury, settling in other parts of the coast. The Norse abandoned their settlements in the 15thcentury, probably because of harsh conditions and lack of food sources. The Danish-Norweigians arrived in the 18thcentury, after years of exploration to attempt to relocate the lost Nordic settlements. Greenland became a Danish colony in on January 14, 1814. This was followed by periods of occupation by both Nazi Germany and the United States during World War II before it finally became part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953.Greenland joined the European Union with Denmark in 1973, but eventually left in 1985 because of the EU’s fishing restrictions. Greenland was allowed self-government in 1979 (home rule), and voted to increase their autonomy in 2008. Responsibility fortheir own internal affairs was granted in 2009. Denmark continuesto handle Greenland’s foreign affairs, security, and finance.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 17:09:01 +0000
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