Population and Settlement
There are many interesting places around the world that we live in. Some are full of dense forests and steep mountains, while others are sandy barren and dry deserts, but one very interesting country has neither. This beautiful, icy country is known as Greenland. Most people believe the misconception that Iceland is icy and Greenland is Green and lush, but in reality the opposite is true. Though it begs the questions: how did people settle in this icy land before it officially came a country, how do people live in such a cold country, and how many people live there?
Our journey starts about 5,000 years ago when the first people to set foot in Greenland. These settlers came from North American via Canada at a time when the sea froze in the narrow strait ~ at Thule (Northern Greenland). Six different Inuit cutlers immigrated to Greenland at different times. The cutlers where “Independence I (2500 BC -1730 BC)…Thule (9th AD-now)”. (Greenland site, 2014). Independence I spread along the northern coastline of Greenland to the southern parts. These early settlers were dependent on animal populations for shelters and primarily lived on musk oxen and ringed seals. One of the most helpful cutlers that settled in Greenland was the Saqqaq. They settled around 2400 BC in the southern part of what is known today as Ittoqqortootmiit. Saqqaq used the first tools, making them efficient hunters. They would utilize these tools to hunt and harvest a wide variety of animals, such as whales, seals, fish, birds and land mammals.
The last culture that arrived here was the Thule cutler around the 9th century AD. Around the same time, the Norse settlers and Erik the Red arrived to Greenland (about 982 AD). The Norse population disappeared around 1450 AD for reasons that remain unanswered today. Many of the ruins that the Norse settlers’ created still remain visible on plains and mountainsides in South Greenland. After the disappearance of the Norse population, settlers from England and Norway immigrated throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and continue to populate much of Greenland today.
Many people wonder how a cold and icy country like Greenland got its name when its neighboring country is much for fitting of such a name. The answer is that in approximately 950-1003 AD the country was lush and green with inviting fjords and fertile green valleys. It was at this time that a gentleman named Eirikr rauði Þorvaldsson who was better known as Erik the Red discovered Greenland by sailing west and found what he described as “a green land”. He was astounded by his discovery and returned to Iceland to spread the word. Erik the Red set sail once more in 985 AD, leading a fleet of 25 ships to Greenland. On the ships were around 500 men and women, domestic animals and all the other materials needed to create a new settlement in this new country. Sadly only 14 of the 25 ships made it to Greenland. By the year 1000 AD the Viking societies had survived for about 500 years. Their disappearance remains a mystery, however some think it may be due to the colder climate as well as bouts of plague, which have been possible causes of their demise.
In the theory of settlement in Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond states that “ Civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions”. The first steps towards civilization are to move from nomadic hunter-gathers to rooted agrarian. The settlers from different counties, such as Iceland, moved to Greenland to do so. These settlers moved people, animals and seeds to Greenland to start “fresh”. The animals they brought were used to help plant crops, produce dairy, clothing and in extreme cases, dinner. Cows were used for milk and beef while sheep were used for cheese, hides and clothing. As Diamond stated early about settlement, I believe that it is true because we are not born with the tools and gifts we are destined to do. We learn how to do certain tasks such as milking a cow or how to look for land while out at sea.
Our journey starts about 5,000 years ago when the first people to set foot in Greenland. These settlers came from North American via Canada at a time when the sea froze in the narrow strait ~ at Thule (Northern Greenland). Six different Inuit cutlers immigrated to Greenland at different times. The cutlers where “Independence I (2500 BC -1730 BC)…Thule (9th AD-now)”. (Greenland site, 2014). Independence I spread along the northern coastline of Greenland to the southern parts. These early settlers were dependent on animal populations for shelters and primarily lived on musk oxen and ringed seals. One of the most helpful cutlers that settled in Greenland was the Saqqaq. They settled around 2400 BC in the southern part of what is known today as Ittoqqortootmiit. Saqqaq used the first tools, making them efficient hunters. They would utilize these tools to hunt and harvest a wide variety of animals, such as whales, seals, fish, birds and land mammals.
The last culture that arrived here was the Thule cutler around the 9th century AD. Around the same time, the Norse settlers and Erik the Red arrived to Greenland (about 982 AD). The Norse population disappeared around 1450 AD for reasons that remain unanswered today. Many of the ruins that the Norse settlers’ created still remain visible on plains and mountainsides in South Greenland. After the disappearance of the Norse population, settlers from England and Norway immigrated throughout the 16th and 17th centuries and continue to populate much of Greenland today.
Many people wonder how a cold and icy country like Greenland got its name when its neighboring country is much for fitting of such a name. The answer is that in approximately 950-1003 AD the country was lush and green with inviting fjords and fertile green valleys. It was at this time that a gentleman named Eirikr rauði Þorvaldsson who was better known as Erik the Red discovered Greenland by sailing west and found what he described as “a green land”. He was astounded by his discovery and returned to Iceland to spread the word. Erik the Red set sail once more in 985 AD, leading a fleet of 25 ships to Greenland. On the ships were around 500 men and women, domestic animals and all the other materials needed to create a new settlement in this new country. Sadly only 14 of the 25 ships made it to Greenland. By the year 1000 AD the Viking societies had survived for about 500 years. Their disappearance remains a mystery, however some think it may be due to the colder climate as well as bouts of plague, which have been possible causes of their demise.
In the theory of settlement in Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond states that “ Civilization is not created out of superior intelligence, but is the result of a chain of developments, each made possible by certain preconditions”. The first steps towards civilization are to move from nomadic hunter-gathers to rooted agrarian. The settlers from different counties, such as Iceland, moved to Greenland to do so. These settlers moved people, animals and seeds to Greenland to start “fresh”. The animals they brought were used to help plant crops, produce dairy, clothing and in extreme cases, dinner. Cows were used for milk and beef while sheep were used for cheese, hides and clothing. As Diamond stated early about settlement, I believe that it is true because we are not born with the tools and gifts we are destined to do. We learn how to do certain tasks such as milking a cow or how to look for land while out at sea.
References
- Milfeldt, M. (Ed.). (2014). Erik the Red. Retrieved from http://www.greenland.com/en/about-greenland/culture-spirit/history/the-viking-period/erik-the-red/
- Milfeldt, M. (Ed.). (2014). Migration to Greenland Retrieved from http://www.greenland.com/en/about-greenland/culture-spirit/history/migration-to-greenland/
- Milfeldt, M. (Ed.). (2014). History. Retrieved from http://www.greenland.com/en/about-greenland/culture-spirit/history/
- Diamond, J. M. (1999). Guns, germs, and steel: The fates of human societies. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/
Population pyriamid s
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.