# Greenland **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881 "2003-02-05T04:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/21 "2003-02-05T12:20:43Z")
\> the dowry wouldn’t have had to be paid Well it wasn’t [http://53.1911encyclopedia.org/O/OR/ORLEANISTS.htm](http://53.1911encyclopedia.org/O/OR/ORLEANISTS.htm) (Can’t say anything about the link. Have read but the first few lines) ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/22 "2003-02-05T12:55:00Z")
Thanks all! I was wondering because I had heard that you could “drive” to Greenland. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/23 "2003-02-05T13:47:56Z")
A few years ago, I was in Copenhagen, and I met a guy who worked for the Danish Govt. he told me that Greenland is an enourmous burden for the Danish taxpayers-Denmark pays all of the salaries of its employees in Greenland, and supports about 80% of the population via welfare, housing, job subsidies. my question: why is Denmark so keen in hanging on to this desolate bit of real estate-is there any mineral wealth or oil there? ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/24 "2003-02-05T14:22:31Z")
\> why is Denmark so keen in hanging on to this desolate bit of real estate-is there any mineral wealth or oil there? Why is America so interested in hanging on to Alabama (or whatever is the poorest state of the Union)? The short answer is: They aren’t (the Danes that is – can’t comment on the Americans). There have been a number of polls to see if the Danish population would accept a Greenland declaration of independence; and the result were all more or less the same “hell yes!” There probably are large deposits of undiscovered minerals, and oil somewhere up there. However it’s generally assumed, that if Greenland ever discovers enough of such resource to support themselves, they’ll wave goodbye to Denmark faster that you can say “Hjemmestyre”. To be fair there are a number of advantages for Denmark; it gives Denmark more international clout – than we would, were we just our little selves. Also during the cold war Denmark got a large discount on the military spending by supplying military bases on Greenland, Thule, to the Americans. But these days, it’s more or less just historic reasons, Denmark can hardly give them the boot – even if it so wished. Also after all these years, there are many family ties that bind the two countries. And the Danish royal family is apparently very well liked on Greenland. It’s hardly an enormous burden for Denmark. Personally I’m more that willing to pay a little extra tax, for the added opportunity in life and larger horizons. Ps. I’m not so sure the Greenlanders, think of their fair, if somewhat white, island as a piece of desolate real estate. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/25 "2003-02-05T16:58:58Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s hardly an enormous burden for Denmark. I would tend to go along with this thought. I’m not sure how big a burden you could find in a country with only 56,000 people, of whom 20,000 or so live in the same town. The Danish budget is the equivalent of $51.3 billion, with $380 million of that going to Greenland. Denmark donates $1.63 billion in aid to other countries each year–I do not know whether that includes or is beyond the Greenland subsidy. If the Greenland subsidy is part of their foreign aid, it makes up less than 25% of _that_ budget. At any rate, it makes up less than \*\*.\*\*8% of the overall budget. > [@](#): > > I was wondering because I had heard that you could “drive” to Greenland. Well, this time of year, you might be able to drive over there with a snow-cat. Most of that water north of Baffin Bay freezes pretty hard during the winter. It would still be a pretty rough trip from anywhere on Ellesmere Island (and getting to that point would require an airlift or a summer boat drop). I do not know how often Davis Strait actually freezes to the point where one could “drive” from Iqaluit (new capital of Nunavut Territory) to Nuuk (Godthåb). ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/26 "2003-02-05T17:16:41Z")
Now that we are on the topic of DK (a favorite since I spent a few summers there), I recall someone telling me that the Faeroe Islands wanted independence from Denmark, they were told “of course, as soon as you pay what you owe us”, which made it impossible being that they are pretty much barren rocks floating on the ocean. Is there any truth on this or was someone pulling my leg? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/27 "2003-02-05T18:09:27Z")
> [@](#): > > Is there any truth on this or was someone pulling my leg? There may be some grain of truth in there, but it does not seem to be the general story. Following WWII, a plebescite gave a tiny plurality victory to the pro-independece faction, 48.7% to 47%. The Danish king dissolved their Lagting (parliament) and the new Lagting reversed the independence position. Denmark continues to provide subsidies to the Faeroe infrastructure, so, while there is probably some (large?) contingent of the populace who would like independence, there may be a similarly sized group who would prefer to maintain their “European” lifestyle, supported by the Danes. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/28 "2003-02-05T18:17:12Z")
> [@](#): > > …I had heard that you could “drive” to Greenland. Wel, to drive to Greenland, you’d first have to drive to Nunavut, and _that_ ain’t possible either! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/29 "2003-02-05T21:51:33Z")
What is the climate of southern Greenland like? Can you grow crops there? Are there any trees? I recall reading that the Vikings settled Greenland around 1000 AD…and that the copuntry was considered to be better than Iceland! Are the people of Greenland able to grow their own food? ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/30 "2003-02-05T22:22:19Z")
The Vikings actually arrived in that part of Greenland before the Eskimos, and were as such the indigenous people. However it was warmer when the Vikings arrived, so they were better able to grow barley and wheat. Today, I think it’s possible to grow wheat, but it doesn’t mature so you have to import the grain to put in the ground – at least that’s how it is on the Faeroes which lies on the same latitude. The Eskimos are hunters, with a diet consisting entirely of meat and blubber etc. (traditionally that is, today they shop in Seven-Eleven just like everybody else) There are no trees on Greenland to speak of (or the Faeroes or Iceland) it’s north of the tree line. Traditionally all the wood used by the Eskimos (in their sleds for instance) is timber that floats to the shores. The Vikings either brought the wood from home (as pre-packed houses towed behind the boats) or went to American for the wood. An Icelandic friend I have tells me it is possible to see Greenland from the western most part of Iceland, because the Greenlandic icecap is several kilometres high, so perhaps the first mariners travelled by sight. The story I was told, was that Eric the Red named the place Greenland to lure people from Iceland to come and live with him there – it worked (later when they went to America they named it “Vinland” Wine-land) A few years ago, I talked with a Thai-woman that had married a Danish man. He got a job on Greenland, so they moved there, and she opened up a Thai Take-Away in a small town north of Godthåb (Nuuk). Imagine that, a woman from a small jungle village in Thailand moving to Greenland – she though it was ok, but damn cold. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/31 "2003-02-05T22:28:22Z")
Third sentence: _These days_ I think it’s possible to grow wheat. BTW. It’s all hearsay so take it with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/32 "2003-02-05T23:29:08Z")
Is it true that Greenland is actually two islands under the ice and there’s an ancient map that shows this? Perhaps when Eric the Red was there it was warm enough that the two were seperate? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/33 "2003-02-06T04:18:58Z")
The central ice cap of Greenland is more than 2,500 _meters_ thick. It is highly improbable that it built up in the slightly more than a thousand years since Eric first showed up. And there are more than two “islands” separated by the cap. The entire coast line is a series of sea mounts that are “joined” by the cap. If the cap melted, there would be an archipelago rather than simply two islands. ---
**Author:** ![Alzarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@Alzarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alzarian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/34 "2003-02-06T04:58:25Z")
So next question: Can I spend my Euros in Greenland, or have they developed their own currency? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/35 "2003-02-06T05:00:20Z")
> [@](#): > > The Vikings actually arrived in that part of Greenland before the Eskimos, Sort of. Eskimos of the Thule Culture inhabited southwestern Greenland long before the Vikings arrived, but they either died out or retreated northward before their arrival. The early Norse settlers found their remins. Later, modern Eskimos expanded south along the shore while the Europeans were still living there. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/36 "2003-02-06T08:48:37Z")
\> Can I spend my Euros in Greenland, or have they developed their own currency? Greenland use the same currency as Denmark and the Faeroe Islands (Danish Kroner). Denmark is not part of the Euro-zone. So no, regular shops will not accept Euros – of course you can change. Actually, Greenland is not even part of the EU. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/37 "2003-02-06T09:28:20Z")
\> Is there any truth on this or was someone pulling my leg? I think the sentiment on the Faeroes is something like 50/50 on independence, anyway the point is moot now since they cannot afford it. They may owe some money to Denmark from when they last went bankrupt a few years back (they were running a large deficit – much like the USA these years :p, and Denmark had to bail them out in the end – don’t get your hopes up, the American deficit is a little bit out of our league) – but that’s not the problem. It’s more the yearly sum of money given to the Faeroes (like Greenland) that they’re unable to live without. Practically their whole economy is based on fishing, but lately they’ve been pretty aggressively searching for oil in the same areas of the Northsea where both Denmark and Norway already have found large deposits. Some people hope a big oil discovery can propel them on the path of independence, the problem is basing a decision that may affect you for thousands of years on a commodity that’ll run out in a few decades. By the way, my family is from the Faeroes, and we still, in the best of Viking traditions, practise blood revenge to the ninth generation – what is more, we are very sensitive to our national pride, a wrong word, inflection, move – whack! Now how was it you framed that sentence: “barren rocks floating on the ocean”. Hmm… think I’ll go sharpen my axe now. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/38 "2003-02-06T11:08:59Z")
So is Greenland considered part of North America or Europe? Both? Neither? ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/39 "2003-02-06T11:11:50Z")
I think, geographical North America, political Europe, cultural perhaps neither. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881/40 "2003-02-06T12:40:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WinstonSmith \* > \*\*\> the dowry wouldn’t have had to be paid > > Well it wasn’t > > [1911encyclopedia.org](http://53.1911encyclopedia.org/O/OR/ORLEANISTS.htm) > > (Can’t say anything about the link. Have read but the first few lines) \*\* My point was that without the marriage going through, the Scots wouldn’t have been entitled to the security for the dowry either. 🙂 1. Agree on dowry 2. Put up islands as security since coffers empty 3. Marry off daughter 4. Fail to come up with cash, lose islands permanently If the marriage hadn’t gone as planned it would have been. 1. Agree on dowry 2. Put up islands as security 3. Have daughter refused on grounds of something or other 4. Regain rule of islands Looking up information on the gentleman in question should put the question to rest once and for all: [http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0825923.html](http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0825923.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland/152881.md?page=3)