Green·land (gr n l nd, -l nd ) An island of Denmark in the northern Atlantic Ocean off northeast Canada. It is the largest island in the world and lies mostly within the Arctic Circle. Inhabited by Inuit peoples as early as 3000 b.c., it was discovered by the Norwegian navigator Eric the Red in the tenth century a.d., became a Danish colony in 1815, and was granted home rule in 1979. Godthåb (Nuuk) is the capital. Population: 56,300. Green·land ic (-lnd k) adj.Word History: How did a glacier-covered island get the name Greenland? In Norse legends written in the 12th century and later, it is told that Eric the Red explored the southeast and southwest coasts of Greenland in a.d. 983-986 and gave the country its name because people would be more likely to go there if it had an attractive name. Greenland was warmer in the tenth century than it is now. There were many islands teeming with birds off its western coast; the sea was excellent for fishing; and the coast of Greenland itself had many fjords where anchorage was good. At the head of the fjords there were enormous meadows full of grass, willows, junipers, birch, and wild berries. Thus Greenland actually deserved its name. Another attraction of Greenland was that Iceland and northwestern Europe, including England, had a grievous year of famine in 976, and people were hungry for food as well as land. |
Greenland [ˈgriːnlənd]
n
(Placename) a large island, lying mostly within the Arctic Circle off the NE coast of North America: first settled by Icelanders in 986; resettled by Danes from 1721 onwards; integral part of Denmark (1953-79); granted internal autonomy 1979; mostly covered by an icecap up to 3300 m (11 000 ft.) thick, with ice-free coastal strips and coastal mountains; the population is largely Eskimo, with a European minority; fishing, hunting, and mining. Capital: Nuuk. Pop.: 56 300 (2001 est.). Area: 175 600 sq. km (840 000 sq. miles) Danish name Grønland Greenlandic name Kalaallit Nunaat
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Greenland - the largest island in the world; lies between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean; a self-governing province of DenmarkThule - a town in northwestern Greenland; during World War II a United States naval base was built there Arctic Ocean - ice covered waters surrounding the North Pole; mostly covered with solid ice or with ice floes and icebergs Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east subcontinent - a large and distinctive landmass (as India or Greenland) that is a distinct part of some continent |
Translations
Greenland
n → Grönland nt
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