Who first inhabited Greenland?
Greenland was settled by Vikings from Iceland in the 10th century, beginning with the voyage of Erik the Red from Breiðafjörður bay in west Iceland in 985.
Did Vikings settle in Greenland?
The Vikings established two outposts in Greenland: one along the fjords of the southwest coast, known historically as the Eastern Settlement, where Gardar is located, and a smaller colony about 240 miles north, called the Western Settlement.
Did Vikings settle in Iceland?
A volcanic, cold island in a remote corner of the North Atlantic, Iceland was one of the last countries to truly be discovered: Depending on who you ask, its first settlers were either Irish Christians or Norse Vikings. And, within 60 years of arrival, the Vikings had claimed much of Iceland.
Is Greenland considered a Scandinavian country?
Greenland is also in the same area of the world as Scandinavia, so people naturally wonder if it is considered a Scandinavian country. Greenland is not considered part of Scandinavia. In the narrow use of the name, “Scandinavia” refers to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
What is the only territorial dispute in the polar region?
The Eastern Greenland case (193 1-33) is the only territorial dispute in the polar regions ever to have been decided by an international court. Norway challenged Denmark’s claim to sovereignty over all of Greenland on the grounds that Denmark had established effective occupation in a limited area only.
Does effective occupation in the polar regions require no sovereign rights?
The decision in the case of the Legal Status of Eastern Greenland, handed down by the Permanent Court of Inter-national Justice (PCIJ) in 1933, is frequently cited as an assertion of the principle that effective occupation in the polar regions requires relatively little actual exercise of sovereign rights (for example, see Shaw, 2003:437). The