Greenland is the largest island in the world, big enough to contain Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy and Romania. Some 80% of the island comprises a giant icecap, more than a mile thick in some places. The ice-free area along the coast is about the size of Norway, and this is where all the towns and villages are situated. There are 13 main towns with a population of 1,000 or more, as well as 59 villages with smaller populations. Nuuk is the capital city, with a population of 18,000. Greenland is the least densely populated country in the world, with a total population of 56,823 as of January 2021. There are no roads between towns because of the great distances, mountainous terrain and deep fjords. Helicopter, aeroplane, boat and dogsled are the means of transportation. Greenland is presently a parliamentary democracy within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenlanders attained home rule in 1979, which was then widened to self-governance in 2008, giving more control, including over international affairs.

Erik the Red was the first European to set foot on Greenland's icy shores. In 986 he led an expedition to Greenland with Icelandic settlers. Of the 25 ships that embarked, only 14 arrived. Erik named the country ‘Greenland’ to entice settlers to join him, although the climate in those days was warmer. Today, Greenlanders prefer to call their country Kalaallit Nunaat, meaning ‘Land of the People’ or ‘Land of the Greenlanders’.

Early Christian History

In 1000, Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, visited Norway and returned to Greenland with the first Christian missionary, a Catholic priest. By the 1100s the Norse population had grown to about 5,000, with more than 300 farms, and Catholicism became established as the main religion. This was the first Christian population in geographical North America, and they constructed the first church building. The weather gradually became too cold for farming, which might be why the entire population had vanished by the late 1400s, although research on the subject is ongoing. The Catholic presence ended with the Norsemen and did not reappear until after 1953. Today, the small number of Catholics all live in the capital city of Nuuk.