Why was Greenland named Greenland in 982?

Answer 1

Contrary to what other people are saying it was because it was Green. temperatures were warmer than they were today. For more info check out the link below:
http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/

Answer 2

It's sometimes assumed that the naming of the country Greenland derives from a time when it was a green land free of ice. In fact, the naming of the land was a piece of Viking propaganda designed to attract new settlers.

The Norwegian Eirik Raude, better known as 'Eric the Red' had been exiled from his native country because of his murderous ways, after taking up residence in Iceland he was again exiled for the same reasons. Setting sail in 982 he 'discovered' Greenland (see note 1) and after rounding the southern ice pack he landed and established a settlement. Three years later, when his period of exile had expired, he returned to Iceland in search of a population for his new settlement. To entice people he told them of green lands and a warmer climate, he christened the new land Greenland because "people would be attracted to go there if it had a favourable name". The plan worked and Erik returned to Greenland with the intrepid emigrants.

Alas, they were to be disappointed, their new home failed to live up to Erik's promises and instead of a lush green land they found a barren wilderness of ice where crops could only be grown in two locations and at certain times of the year when the ice melted. They has become the victims of Viking propaganda.

Note 1: The discovery of Greenland is often attributed to Eric the Red but it had been sighted about a century earlier by a fellow Norseman Gunnbjörn Ulfsson and shortly after was first settled by another Norseman Snaebjörn Galti.

Answer 3

THE ICE USED TO BE GREEN IN THOSE DAYS
just kidding

Antarctica and England have fossils of tropical plants ,
this planet has know many different climatic conditions and the poles have not always been in the same place as they are today ,

this is totaly irrelevant of the fact that people are
screwing this planet from many angles.
which is what you are trying to disprove ofcourse

here is a follow up to you unspoken question
that i see in your mind.(which i can read being an Alien)

WHO OR WHAT IS TO BLAME

Irresponsible Agriculture , expanding populations and its effects are the planets biggest enemies.

This text only covers some aspects of Climate change ,i.e.effects of deforestation and subsequent man made desertification ,because of irresponsible farming using chemicals ,over pumping carbon aquifers,over grazing ,wild fires (because of slash and burn gone out of control).

Water and air polution ,such as caused by
industrial contamination ,the contaminating effects of the cities(the internal combustion engine) ,are other stories.

All of these are also man made ,such as the high industrial chimneys pumping contamination into the clouds and the burning of tires,some of this polution has been found in the ice in the polar regions.

There are natural cycles in the planets life
but a lot is influenced by mans existance ,this is increasing with overpopulation,putting strains on Natural resources and increasing contaminations .

The thinner ozone layer helps to speed this up. This is caused mainly by air polution ,also as a result of mans actions.

In North Africa,India,Mexico ,millions of people are effected by land loss , desertification and some have died as a result.

Now many animals are becoming sick because of changes in temperature .
Vital links in the food chains are disapearing affecting other species further along in the chain .

We are witness to a mass exstinction ,for the first time since the dinosaurs.
Of the earth's estimated 10 million species, 300,000 have vanished in the past 50 years.
Each year, 3,000 to 30,000 species become extinct.

Everything is happening so fast it is not possible to monitor things any more.

The Sahara is growing by 7 kilometers a year.
Most of the desserts are as a results of mans actions.And they are increasing .In the dinosaurs days ,there were few desserts.

Collectively this planet is drying up .

Each degree rise in temperature means 10%crop loss

There is less and less water (because of deforestation),to irrigate Agriculture.

Arable lands and their farms are lost all over the globe. Many farmers sons abandon farming and head for the cities.

Northern China is drying up, what once were millions of food producing people, are now hungry refugees ,running for their lives from the all consuming dust storms.

This will have a great effect on world food prices when they start buying at what ever cost, to feed their people.

The farmers that are left have to feed some 70 million more people than the year before but with less topsoil(because of desertification and irreverible erosion)

Over the last half century,
Population growth & rising incomes have tripled world grain demand from 640 million tons to 1,855 million

In the near future the global farming community will not be able to feed every body ,food prices will continue to rise. .

RISING SEAS
The northpole is melting ,and we will know it without ice in our life times.
This does not affect the sea level ,because it is ice that is already in the water.but the melting ice from Green land and the south pole ,and the Glaziers is potable water lost forever and rises the sea levels.

And Green land will be Green again soon to prove that the Vikings were not Lying.

Answer 4

I always thought it was because the vikings wanted to confuse people so they named it Greenland to draw people there.

Answer 5

Because the Norse warriors who discovered Iceland wanted to keep Iceland for themselves, so they threw people off by naming it Iceland, and drew people away from it by telling them to go to Greenland, which was just a marketing ploy, because of course, it is very icy.

I believe Leif the Great was the Norse leader involved in this ancient practical ruse.

Answer 6

Basically to try to encourage people to settle there. Not because it was actually significantly greener then than it was today.

"So Leif had a mighty hard sales pitch convincing would-be settlers to spend the rest of their life there. He returned to Iceland with exaggerated stories of verdant shores, abundant fish, excellent farmland and an evocative name for this wonderland: Greenland. "

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/europe/greenlan/greenlan.htm

Answer 7

actually it was Erik the Red

Answer 8

Because "Worthless Frozen Tundra" would turn people away.