If you’ve ever looked at a globe, you may have noticed something odd: Greenland is covered in ice and Iceland is green. The peculiarity behind the names of Iceland and Greenland has been noticed and questioned by many, so what’s the deal? As is the case with the naming behind most countries, the first settlers are largely responsible for giving countries their names. The country we know as Iceland is actually a volcanic island grown from the ocean floor. A Norwegian Viking named Floki traveled to the island with his family, but his settlement attempt failed when he didn’t harvest any hay for his animals. The story goes that after his loss, he climbed a mountain in the spring to check the weather and saw drift ice out in the water. Hence, he named the island Iceland. Despite its name, only 11% of the land is covered in ice caps and it sits just south of the Arctic Circle. As for Greenland, Erik the Red — who was previously exiled from Iceland — named the land in hopes of attracting more people and building a community. Contrary to the nation’s name, 80% of Greenland is covered in ice, with only the southern portion being green. In fact, Eismitte, Greenland, is the second coldest place on earth, with -85º as their lowest recorded temperature. Despite the frigid environment, approximately 57,000 people reside there, as well as some of the most beautiful species on the planet, including musk ox, walruses, humpback whales and more.
