Greenland(Kalaallisut:KalaallitNunaat,meaning"LandoftheGreenlanders";Danish:Grønland)isamembercountryoftheKingdomofDenmarklocatedbetweentheArcticandAtlanticOceans,eastoftheCanadianArcticArchipelago.ThoughphysiographicallyandethnicallyanArcticislandcountryandgeographicallyapartofthecontinentofNorthAmerica,politicallyandhistoricallyGreenlandisassociatedwithEurope,specificallyIceland,Norway,andDenmark.In1979,DenmarkgrantedhomeruletoGreenland,witharelationshipdescribedbytheRigsfællesskabet,andin2008GreenlandvotedtobecomeaseparatecountrywithintheKingdomofDenmark,effectiveJune2009.Greenlandis,byarea,theworld'slargestislandthatisnotacontinentinitsownright.

　　InprehistorictimesGreenlandwashometoanumberofPaleo-Eskimocultures.FromAD986,itwascolonisedbyIcelandersintwosettlementsonfjordsnearthesouthwesternmosttipoftheisland.[4]Thesettlements,suchasBrattahlid,thrivedforcenturiesbutdisappearedsometimeinthe1400s,atthetimeofonegivendatefortheoutbreakoftheLittleIceAge.[5]

　　DatafromicecoresindicatethatbetweenAD800and1300theregionsaroundthefjordsofsouthernGreenlandexperiencedamildclimate,withtreesandherbaceousplantsgrowingandlivestockbeingfarmed.[citationneeded]

　　TheseIcelandicsettlementsvanishedduringthe14thand15thcenturies,likelyduetofamineandincreasingconflictswiththeInuit.[6]TheconditionofhumanbonesfromthisperiodindicatesthattheNorsepopulationwasmalnourished,probablybecauseofsoilerosionresultingfromtheNorsemen'sdestructionofnaturalvegetationtoallowforfarming,turf-cutting,andwood-cutting,becauseofadeclineintemperaturesduringtheLittleIceAge,andbecauseofarmedconflictswiththeInuit.[5]JaredDiamondsuggeststhatculturalpractices,suchasrejectingfishasasourceoffoodandrelyingsolelyonlivestockill-adaptedtoGreenland's(degrading)climateresultedinrecurringfaminewhichledtoabandonmentofthecolony.[5]However,isotopeanalysisofthebonesofinhabitantsshowsthatmarinefoodsourcessuppliedmoreandmoreofthedietoftheNorseGreenlanders,makingupbetween50%and80%oftheirdietbythe1300s.[7]Thereislittleevidencethattheyhuntedsealsorotherseamammalsforfood,aswascommonpractiseamongsttheirInuitneighbours.

　　ThelastwrittenrecordsoftheNorseGreenlandersareofamarriagein1408inthechurchofHvalsey—todaythebest-preservedNorseruinsinGreenland.Inthe16thcenturyGreenlandwasvisitedbyCorte-RealandaccordingtotheTreatyofTordesillaspartofthePortugueseareaofinfluence.ItispossiblethatsomePortuguesesettlementswerecreatedthereinthatperiod,asattestedinsomemaps.[8]

　　Norwayoccupiedandclaimedpartsofthethen-uninhabitedeasternGreenland(alsocalledEriktheRed'sLand)inJuly1931,claimingthatitconstitutedTerranullius.NorwayandDenmarkagreedtosubmitthematterin1933tothePermanentCourtofInternationalJustice,whichdecidedagainstNorway.

　　Greenland'sconnectiontoDenmarkwasseveredonApril9,1940,when,earlyinWorldWarII,DenmarkwasoccupiedbyGermany.GreenlandwasabletobuygoodsfromtheUnitedStatesandCanadabysellingcryolitefromthemineinIvittuut.Duringthiswar,thesystemofgovernmentchanged:GovernorEskeB