Greenland, the largest island in the world, covers an area of 2,166,086 km2, between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean in northeastern North America. As the world's largest island, Greenland stands like a giant in the Arctic. With an area of 2,166,000 square kilometers and three-quarters of the island within the Arctic Circle, Greenland is best described as a land of ice.

Which country is Greenland on and why is it not included in the Danish territory?

The current sovereignty of Greenland is in Denmark. In fact, the ownership of Greenland did not always belong to Denmark in history, but changed hands several times and became a Danish dependency in the 17th century. In 1979, Greenland gained self-government, but its sovereignty remained in Danish hands.

Greenland was discovered in about 982 AD, initially as a penal colony for prisoners, and later as expeditions to this area, Greenland began to be used as a colony, where two large colonies were established, the population of more than 3,000 people, and in the 11th century, Christianity began to spread to this ice field, and in the 12th century, the first bishop was established here.

In 1776, the Danish government monopolized Greenland's trade, so that Greenland's coast was closed to all countries except Denmark. In 1814, after the partition of Denmark and Norway, the two countries had a dispute over the ownership of Greenland. In 1931, Norway occupied the then uninhabited eastern part of Greenland and named it "Land of Eric the Redbeard", claiming that it was terra nullius before its occupation. The dispute was referred to arbitration by Denmark and Norway in 1933 by the Permanent Court of International Justice, which ultimately upheld Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland.

In fact, after the Second World War, the United States already had a lot of interests in Greenland, so in 1946 the United States offered to buy Greenland, but Denmark refused. But even though World War II was over, the U.S. military base in Greenland still existed, and Denmark joined NATO. With the implementation of the new Danish constitution in 1953, Greenland became a Danish province (AMT) and Greenlanders received Danish citizenship. But the U.S. Thule Air Base in Greenland has been a source of conflict between the Danish government and the Greenlanders. In 1968, a B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed near the base, causing radioactive contamination of the area.

Why is it not included in the Danish territorial area?

Greenland is now a self-governing state of Denmark, the equivalent of an ancient vassal state. Therefore, the area of Greenland is not included in the calculation of the territory of Denmark. Overseas territories not only of Denmark, but also of the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand are not counted as part of the home territory.

Although Greenland has become a state of Denmark, more than 80% of Greenland's inhabitants are native Greenlanders, and Danes account for only one-sixth of the total population. In May 1979, the Danish government granted partial autonomy to Greenland, and Greenland established an internal self-government, but foreign affairs, defence and justice remained under Danish control. Greenland was changed from a Danish state to a dominion of Denmark, so Greenland is no longer part of the Kingdom of Denmark.