Greenland's history
Denmark colonised Greenland in the 18th century when missionary Hans Egede arrived in 1721, marking the start of the colonial era. In 1916, the United States bought the Danish West Indies - now the U.S. Virgin Islands - for $25 million in gold. As part of that treaty, Washington declared it would not object to the Danish government extending its "political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland," formally recognising Danish sovereignty.
