Greenland, the Story of the People and the History of the Name

Greenland, a semi-autonomous island under the Kingdom of Denmark, is currently a hot topic of discussion. The reason is that United States President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to take over Greenland. This has sparked global curiosity. What are the unique features of the largest island in the world?

According to data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the second largest island in the world is Papua, located in the regions of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its area is 785,753 square kilometers. The expanse of Papua Island is only one-third the size of Greenland.

The area of Greenland is 2,130,800 square kilometers. However, its population is only half of the population of the East Ciputat sub-district in South Tangerang City, Banten.

The population of Ciputat Timur is 174,798 people, while the population of Greenland is only 56,831 individuals. Imagine, all the residents of Greenland could fit into the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and there would still be 22,000 empty seats remaining.

The inhabitants of Greenland reside along the coastal areas. The central part of the island is covered in snow. During the summer, some areas in the middle of the ice island melt, revealing tundra.

There are no roads connecting the cities in Greenland. Intercity transportation must be conducted using airplanes or ships that circle the island. This can only be done during the summer season. In winter, the weather is too harsh for travel.

The first international flight was inaugurated in June 2025. This flight connects Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, with Copenhagen in Denmark. Another flight connects Montreal in Canada with Nuuk. From the United States, Greenland can now be reached via Newark in New Jersey.

According to National Traveller, before Nuuk had an international airport, travelers to Greenland had to make long journeys. They had to change flights in northern Canada, Denmark, or Iceland. In Greenland, they landed at US military bases: Kangerlussuaq in the north or Narsarsuaq in the south.

In June-October 2024, a pioneering flight connecting Nuuk with Iqaluit, the capital of the Nunavut region in Canada, will be launched. This is the first flight linking two international Inuit regions.

This special summer flight will be reopened from June to October 2025 due to high passenger enthusiasm. According to the President Director of Air Greenland, Jacob Nitter Sørensen, the passengers are not only Inuit people but also general tourists.

"The 2026 batch will run from June to September," he said, as quoted by the Nunavut News.

Thanks to year-round air transport, tourism in Greenland has increased by 36 percent. Air travel for tourism is more accessible to the general public. The majority of tour packages to Greenland still come from luxury cruise ships that only operate during the summer.

The region described as always covered in snow, yet named Green Land, certainly piques curiosity. Kalaallit Nunaat (Land of the Kalaallit People) is the name of Greenland in the Inuit language.

The Kalaallit people are part of the Inuit nation. This nation is spread across the sub-Arctic region, specifically in North America and Russia. In Canada, the provinces of Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Newfoundland and Labrador are Inuit territories. In the United States, Inuit are found in the state of Alaska.

The Inuit were once known as Eskimos. This term is no longer used as it is considered derogatory. The Institute for Traditional Language Studies at the University of Alaska explains that Eskimo is not actually the name of any tribe, but rather the French term esquimaux, meaning "people who tie snowshoes."

In addition, there is also a theory that Eskimo is a term from the Algonquin language meaning 'raw meat eater'. This term is considered derogatory, perhaps similar to how Indonesians were referred to as Inlander during the Dutch colonial era.

The name Greenland comes from the Hikayat Erik Merah. This saga tells the story of Erik Thorvaldsson (950-1003), a Viking who led various expeditions to explore the northern part of the American continent. He was nicknamed Erik Merah because Thorvaldsson had red hair and a red beard.

The political conflict in Eslandia caused Erik Merah and his family to become somewhat isolated. In 982, he moved his family to an island inhabited by the Inuit people and decided to settle there.

Erik the Red named the island Greenland. According to legend, he hoped that with such a beautiful name, the snow-covered land would someday become an attractive place for many people. It seems that after 1,022 years, Erik the Red's prayer has been answered.

Although Erik the Red and his followers lived in Greenland, the island had not yet become a European colony. The settlement he established lasted until the 15th century. Archaeological records indicate that there were several conflicts with the indigenous people of Greenland, which eventually led the Vikings to abandon Greenland over time.

The colonization of Greenland began in 1721 when Norwegian missionary Hans Egede set foot there. At that time, Denmark and Norway were still one kingdom. In 1814, the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway split, and Greenland became part of Danish territory.

Aaborg University cultural expert Robert Thomsen, in the 2021 Arctic Yearbook, explains that Egede is a controversial figure in Greenlandic history.

The local community is now predominantly Christian. At the same time, they are questioning the methods used by Egede in spreading the religion and the Danish-Norwegian colonization. Denmark is seen as having erased many aspects of Inuit culture.

Tourism and culture in Greenland are not well known to the general public. Only those seeking adventure in the great outdoors typically travel to Greenland, and that is usually during the summer. Greenland offers views of icebergs as tall as 30-story buildings and the aurora.

In popular culture, Greenlandic entertainment is also not yet on the radar of many. A Greenlandic celebrity who is starting to gain international recognition is Nukaaka Coster-Waldau, an actress, singer, and model. She played Blair in the television series The Wheel of Times.

Nukaaka is well-known among the Inuit community and is often called their cultural ambassador for developing Inuit pop music. The general public is more familiar with Nukaaka's husband, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The Danish actor plays Jaime Lannister in the series Game of Thrones.

The digital publication Tedium.co writes that Greenland's music scene is actually very diverse, despite its small population. Rock music, for example, has been popular on the island since the band Sume brought it to Greenland in 1970. Sume developed Greenlandic rock by writing lyrics in Inuit, not Danish.

Now, the torch has been passed to the band Sound of the Damned. In their profile published by the daily USA Today, July 5 2025, the members are native Greenlanders or diaspora who have returned home.

“We play metal music while preserving Greenlandic culture,” says Pani Enequist, songwriter of Sound of the Damned.

Her husband, Sebastian, is the vocalist. In addition to traditional rock and metal elements, the band's songs also incorporate the qilaat, a Greenlandic percussion instrument. Some sections also incorporate throat vocal techniques.

There's also the band Nanook, fronted by brothers Christian and Frederik Elsner. Speaking to NPR on March 4, 2025, they expressed optimism that Inuit-language songs would reach a wider audience.

Millennial and Generation Z in Greenland take pride in expressing their traditional culture. In the past, having tattoos or wearing traditional attributes was looked down upon. Now, various festivals and traditional rituals have become part of Greenland's tourism.

From a culinary perspective, the chefs of Greenland are increasingly offering a different dining experience. Greenlandic cuisine is predominantly dominated by fresh fish. Fishing is the main industry on the island.

Greenlanders also continue to hunt. They typically hunt whales and harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus). Their meat and blubber are essential for survival in extreme cold.

On land, the community hunts reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and the endemic muskox (Ovibos moschatus). Hunting is an important tradition for maintaining the balance of nature. They also farm sheep, introduced by Europeans.

Several cruise ship tours and land tours now include a luxury dining agenda. The menu features ingredients typical of Greenland, prepared using modern methods.

The authorities in Greenland hope that tourism can contribute to foreign exchange earnings. Greenland aims to reduce its dependence on special allocation funds from Denmark. So far, half of the regional revenue still comes from the central government.

Are you interested in visiting Greenland?