green (see below) + land. The origin of the green of Greenland is disputed; Icelandic saga says that the island was so named by Eric the Red to make the island sound more pleasant than it was or that it was much greener in his day; it is also said that his family came from Grønland in Norway, and that he had travelled from a poor, black-stoned field in his homeland to large green meadows in Greenland.
Self-governing island that is a territory of Denmark.
