Why Denmark Owns Greenland 🇩🇰🤯 World’s Largest Island 🇬🇱

Added: 2026-05-29

[00:00:00]Why does one of the smallest countries in Europe, Denmark, own the largest island on Earth? Yeah, I'm kind of wondering that, too. It all started with the Vikings. Actually, there were already people living on the island.

[00:00:12]They came from what is now Canada and mostly settled in the north, while the Vikings landed on the southwestern coast. Wow, this place is freezing.

[00:00:20]Let's call it Greenland. Why? Marketing.

[00:00:24]And somehow it actually worked. New settlers started arriving on the island.

[00:00:29]Wait, did I just get scammed? Later, the settlements in Greenland began recognizing Norway's authority, and in the 13th century, Greenland officially became part of the Norwegian crown. By the late 14th century, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had united under one crown.

[00:00:43]And over time, Denmark became the dominant partner in the union because most of the power was concentrated in Copenhagen. Sweden didn't exactly love that. Nah, I'm out. And after the Napoleonic Wars, the union between Denmark and Norway fell apart. So Greenland is coming with me, right?

[00:01:00]Actually, no. Norway entered a new union with Sweden, while Denmark kept Greenland, Iceland, and the Pharaoh Islands. Over time, Iceland became independent, the Pharaoh Islands gained self-government, and Greenland gained autonomy and even the right to declare independence someday. So basically, everyone left, and I'm still stuck with you. Yep. No.