Conversation

Why is Greenland called Greenland when it is white and full of ice?

Greenland is inhabited by the native people called Kalaallit, and they call their country Land of the Kalaallit, which in their language is Kalaallit Nunaat.

But in 935 when the Norse explorer Erik the Red discovered Kalaallit Nunaat, he likely arrived on the coastline in the south where Greenland turns green in the summer when the ice melts. Hence the name Greenland made sense; and it is said, that Erik chose the name…

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