Why is Greenland full of ice, while Iceland is covered with greenery?

These two lands are not only opposite to the name, but even their nature is opposite.

Names are often based on the characteristics of a land. Except for Iceland - ice land , and Greenland - the green land. These two lands carry two names that are completely opposite to the nature, when Iceland has no ice, and Greenland is snow year-round.

A land in Greenland.

And this is Iceland.

So what is the answer to such a spectacular position swap?

It was rumored that all this was intentional : Because to protect their lush island, it was not overcrowded, the migrant Vikings named the island Iceland; If I go back to Greenland . no one cares, because it is cold to migrate up here, what do I do?

But the truth, according to scientists , is more complicated. Because it relates to both Norwegian customs and global climate change process.

Few truths come to mind

Currently, more than 80% of Greenland is covered in frost. But actually in the summer of 982, when explorer Erik Thorvaldsson (Erik The Red) first set foot on the island, this place seemed to be covered with a green color. Even the grasslands are so dense that they can be shepherd, and potatoes are very popular.

What about Iceland? Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Iceland's sea is about 6 degrees warmer than Greendland. The warmer climate means Iceland's summer is full of green, although 11% of its surface is still icy.

Iceland is not only green: the Hverfjall hole is covered with snow and ice, in front of it Myvatn has frozen.

So how do the names change?

The name Greenland actually comes from the Vikings . According to Norwegian customs, they will name something according to their first impressions of it.

For example, when Erik The Red's son Leif Eríksson first saw wild grapes (possibly black strawberries) growing on the coast, he placed this part of Canada "Vinland" - the land of vines. .

Greenland was once as green as this.

According to data from ice cores and mollusk shells in Greenland, in about 800 - 1300, Southern Greenland was much greener than it is today. That means when the Vikings first came here, the name Greenland was really reasonable.

But by the 14th century, Greenland's average temperature dropped sharply. Lower temperatures mean fewer crops, while winters are terribly cold. It all left Norway to leave the country.

And fairy tales of Icelandic people

Legend has it that Naddador was the first explorer to arrive in Iceland, and he named it Snæland (Snowy Land) because it was snowing now. Subsequently, Garðar Svavarosson - a Swedish Viking joined the Naddador step, leading to the island being named Garðarshólmur (Garðar's Island).

Sadly, Garðar's island is not very friendly to the next person - a Viking named Flóki Vilgerðarson. Flóki's daughter drowned on her way here, and all herds died because of the long winter. It is said that, during that depression and depression, he climbed a mountain, only to see a small bay full of ice. Since then, the name of Iceland was born.

Iceland today.

Iceland and Greenland are located close to each other on the map, so those ice sheets could come from Greenland. But it didn't matter, because the name quickly spread among the Vikings.

But what about Greenland? There is another anecdote about Erik The Red, that Erik was expelled from Iceland after killing three people. Erik discovered the icy land and named it Greenland, to attract more people to his island nation.

In short, Iceland was named by a sorrowful Viking and Greenland was a slogan for medieval advertising.

The name is gradually returning to its true value

The process of climate change is also affecting the land of people all year round with ice and snow. The fast-melting ice sheets in Greenland caused cold temperatures to cool in the North Atlantic, and slowed down the Gulf Stream.

If everything continues like that, Iceland will gradually become colder and freeze; while Greenland became warm and the ice melted at an alarming rate.

The name may return to its correct position .

In another one or two centuries, it is likely that the globe will become more plausible, as Greenland and Iceland become similar to the name they were given thousands of years ago.