Erik the Red led a group of Icelanders and Norwegians to settle on the west coast of Greenland in AD 982. He named it Greenland, hoping to attract settlers, and falsely claimed it had better farmland than Iceland. Leif Erikson named a part of Canada “Vinland.” Greenland is the largest island in the world with a population of approximately 56,480.
Beginning around AD 982, the west coast of Greenland was settled by a group of Icelanders and Norwegians, led by the Viking explorer Erik the Red. Erik had been banished from Iceland after killing three people in a feud, so he assembled a 14-boat scouting party and sailed west to find a new home. He found a massive ice-covered island and, according to Icelandic legend, named this new cold place Greenland, hoping the pleasant name would attract more settlers. Erik’s recruiting efforts included falsely claiming that Greenland had better farmland than Iceland. Today, more than 80% of Greenland is covered in ice, but in Erik the Red’s time, historians say the island was probably warmer and greener, so perhaps Erik’s choice of name wasn’t entirely off. place.
Iceland, Greenland, Vinland:
The Norse custom was to name a place after what explorers saw. For example, Erik the Red’s son, Leif Erikson, named a part of Canada “Vinland” because he saw wild fruit-bearing vines growing along the coast.
The Vikings didn’t discover Greenland: it was inhabited on and off by arctic peoples for about 4,500 years.
Greenland is the largest island in the world, with a population of approximately 56,480. Australia and Antarctica are larger, but are considered landmasses, not islands.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
