how long has denmark owned greenland

Denmark has effectively controlled Greenland since the early 18th century, and Greenland has been formally part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1814, so a bit over 200 years.

Key dates in a nutshell

• Norse (Icelandic–Norwegian) colonies reached Greenland around the late 10th century, when Norway was the relevant Nordic power rather than Denmark.

• After Denmark and Norway came under a single crown in the late Middle Ages, Greenland followed Norway into that dual monarchy, so it was under the joint Danish‑Norwegian king for several centuries.

• Modern Danish colonial rule dates from the 1720s, when missionary Hans Egede established a permanent Danish presence and founded what is now Nuuk.

• When the Denmark–Norway union was dissolved in 1814, Denmark lost Norway but retained Norway’s former colonies, including Greenland, which then became a Danish possession in its own right.

So “how long” has Denmark owned Greenland?

If the question is about continuous, modern Danish rule , the usual answer is:

• Since 1721–1728 (start of Danish colonization and establishment of Nuuk) → roughly 300 years.

• Since 1814 as a distinct part of the Kingdom of Denmark after the breakup with Norway → a bit over 200 years.

Today Greenland is still within the Kingdom of Denmark but has extensive home rule and self‑government, meaning it runs most of its own internal affairs while remaining under the Danish crown for things like foreign and defense policy.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.