Greenland is a self ruled part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Today, the population is concentrated mainly on the southwest coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely populated. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside of Antarctica. With a population of 56,081 (2020), it is the least densely populated region in the world. About a third of the population lives in Nuuk, the capital and largest city; the second-largest city in terms of population is Sisimiut, 320 km (200 mi) north of Nuuk. The Arctic Umiaq Line ferry acts as a lifeline for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and settlements.
Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now Canada. Norsemen settled the uninhabited southern part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously settled Iceland. These Norsemen later set sail from Greenland and Iceland, with Leif Erikson becoming the first known European to reach North America nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean islands. Inuit arrived in the 13th century. Though under continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not formally under the Norwegian crown until 1261. The Norse colonies disappeared in the late 15th century after Norway was hit by the Black Death and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island, naming it Terra do Lavrador (later applied to Labrador in Canada)
In the early 17th century, Danish explorers reached Greenland again. To strengthen trading and power, Denmark–Norway affirmed sovereignty over the island. Because of Norway's weak status, it lost sovereignty over Greenland in 1814 when the union was dissolved. Greenland became Danish in 1814 and was fully integrated in the Danish state in 1953 under the Constitution of Denmark. With the Constitution of 1953, the people in Greenland became citizens of Denmark. From 1961 Greenland joined the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which Denmark joined as a founding member of the EFTA in 1960, but its membership ceased with effect from 1973 when Denmark joined the European Communities. In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community (EEC) with Denmark. However, in a referendum in 1982, a majority of the population voted for Greenland to withdraw from the EEC. This was effected in 1985, changing Greenland to an OCT (Overseas Countries and Territories) associated with the EEC, now the European Union (EU). The associated relationship with the EU also means that all Greenlandic nationals (OCT-nationals) are EU citizens.
1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland; in 2008, Greenlanders voted in favour of the Self-Government Act, which transferred more power from the Danish government to the local Greenlandic government. Under the new structure, Greenland has gradually assumed responsibility for policing, the judicial system, company law, accounting, auditing, mineral resource activities, aviation, law of legal capacity, family law and succession law, immigration and border controls, the working environment, and financial regulation and supervision. The Danish government still retains control of citizenship, monetary policy and foreign affairs including defence. It also provided an initial annual subsidy of DKK 3.4 billion, which will diminish gradually. Greenland expects to grow its economy based on increased income from the extraction of natural resources. The capital, Nuuk, held the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. At 70%, Greenland has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in the world, mostly coming from hydropower
Our original plan for Greenland had to be substantially altered because the winter ice had not melted enough for the ship to enter the original fjords. Therefore our route was mainly in a small confined area as on the map above
Qassiarsuk (Brattahlid)
!Green fields, farms and sheep are not the first thing people usually think of as typically Greenlandic, but in Qassiarsuk, agriculture has been the way of life for over a thousand years. Qassiarsuk is one of several settlements in Southern Greenland which subsist by sheep farming since the 1960s, and the rolling meadows could easily evoke Scotland or Norway, if not for the icebergs drifting past.
Qassiarsuk lies in the heart of Norse Greenland, home of one of the most famous Norsemen of all, Eric the Red, who founded the colony in Southern Greenland around 985. Eric was fiercely pagan, but his wife Thjodhild was a devout Christian. The Sagas say that she demanded her husband build her a church; Eric refused, but Thjodhild refused to share his bed until he relented, unwittingly constructing the first church in North America, on the condition that it be out of view of his hall. Today, Eric's house and Thjodhilds church are outlines in the turf of the modern town, but extensive archaeological investigations have shown a once thriving community centred around the church. Today, one can visit faithful reconstructions of Eric's hall and Thjodhild's church, and gain a stunning view over the fjord from the bronze statue of their son Leif Ericson (the first European to visit the North American Mainland), as well as enjoying the hospitality of the locals, who are proud of their idyllic town and its epic history. Several sites in Norse Greenland including Brattahlíð are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Encircled by a wealth of Norse ruins, Qassiarsuk is a small village but worth the visit. Also known as Brattahlid in the old Norse, Qassiarsuk is the newer, Greenlandic name for this small village. On Qassiarsuk enjoy a tour of the foundation remains of the manor house of Erik the Red, who found Greenland after being banished from Iceland and Norway for murder. Visit also the site of the first Christian church ever built in North America (physio-graphically speaking). There is also the chance to see a recently unearthed Norse graveyard that contains remains of 144 Norse colonists, and to admire Hans Lynge's remarkable bronze sculpture of Erik the Red. Make the return trip to the ship".
We enjoyed our time ashore here, free to wander as we liked
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Igaliku
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"Visit the tiny settlement of Igaliku, a village within the municipality of Kujalleq in south Greenland. Home to just 30 inhabitants (down from 55 in 2010), the town was actually named Igaliko originally in 1783 and was founded by a trader and colonial administrator named Anders Olsen and his Greenlandic wife Tuperna. From the landing site, take a 4-km walk (2.5 miles) to Igaliku to meet up with the people of this place, who are very proud of their beautiful village. With your local guides visit the ruins of Garðar, which was once the religious heart of 12th-century Norse Greenland."
We walked across an isthmus to get to Igaliku, but the timings had been incorrectly worked out, and though we got a very good view over he settlement, we did not have the time to go right down into the village
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Qalerallit Fjord
The ship went to the head of the fjord, and when the mist lifted we were just in front of the glacier. A wondrous, if chilly, morning
The ship then repositioned, and then there was a zodiac cruise.
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and we were treated to champagne and chocies on the zodiac cruise round the fjord in the afternoon
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Narsaq
Present day Narsaq was founded as Nordprøven ("North Prøven") in 1830, distinguishing it from Sydprøven ("South Prøven", modern Alluitsup Paa) established the same year.
The initial settlement was founded as a trading colony of Qaqortoq, then named Julianehaab. A trading center was established here due to the natural deep water harbor which could accommodate ocean faring vessels, . Initially local seal hunters traded blubber and seal skin for continental goods, such as coffee, sugar, bread and buckwheat. Until approximately 1900 seal hunting formed the main economy for Narsaq. In the early 1900s seal hunting began to fail, and the main basis for the economy gradually shifted to fishing. The city's historical fishing village is from 1914.
The main house of the historical village today houses the power company in the city. Simiutak at the Skovfjord mouth near Narsaq was a HF/DF radio range finding station called Bluie West Three during World War II. The station commenced operations in January 1942, and was permanently manned until the end of the war. The population also increased during this period, from 25 in 1870, to 162 in 1919, and to 300 in 1930. However the settlement did not experience significant population growth until 1953, when its first prawn and fishing factory of Royal Greenland was established. The factory was subsequently closed in 2010 In 1959 the population exceeded 600, and Narsaq achieved town status,
With 1,346 inhabitants as of 2020, it is the ninth-largest town in Greenland. Several hundred people live in the surrounding community. The town is notable for the 1990 Narsaq massacre, a mass shooting where seven people were killed and one was wounded. The shooting was the worst in Greenland's history. Until December 31, 2008, the town was the administrative center of Narsaq Municipality in the Kitaa amt. In addition to the town, the municipality consisted of the Qassiarsuk, Igaliku and Narsarsuaq settlements, as well as several sheep and reindeer farms.
We went ashore on a really wet morning, The streets were awash, and it was a half mile into town to see an interesting museum, staffed by a knowledgeable . And that was all there apart from an interesting large supermarket, selling a large array of guns. By the time we got back to the ship we were thoroughly wet and cold. But glad we had gone!
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We left Greenland with the threat of a major storm, and in fact the ship headed well north of the direct route to avoid the worst of the weather. Intriguingly, with the gale force winds behind us, and the following sea, the ship was actually surfing. The bow wave was about amidships. It being deemed impossible to land on St Kilda, because of the weather, the ship made for Stornaway, but the weather was too bad to enter harbour there. Tobermoray apparently refused to take the ship, so we ended up with a day in Oban