GREENLAND

GREENLAND / KALAALLIT NUNAAT.

Map of the Greenland island and portrait of the Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.
Stamp issued on 30.01.1989.
Face value: 4.40 Danish krone.
Design and engraving: Czesław Słania (1921-2005).
Print: 402,700 copies.

Catalogues
- StampWorld No. 190.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 178.

Greenland has been inhabited, although not continuously, since the middle of the third millennium BC by Amerindian peoples. In 986 its southern coast was colonized by populations of Nordic origin from Iceland, and in 1261 the Greenlanders accepted Norwegian sovereignty over the island. The Norse occupation lasted until the early 15th century, declining possibly due to the Little Ice Age. At the beginning of the 18th century Hans Egede reestablished contact with Greenland, which became dependent on Denmark in 1814, after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway. In 1979, Denmark granted it autonomy, and in 2008, it transferred most of the powers from the Danish government to the local Greenlandic government. This handover became effective the following year and left Denmark with foreign affairs, security and financial policy powers.