The Wyandotte herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1879-1943, 1940-12-13
War Turns Eyes
To Greenland
Comment Is Aroused Over
Islands Status Under
Monroe Doctrine.

HASdlNGION.- Germany occu-
patton of Denmark has stirred COM
ment in the Western hemisphere on
the status of Greenland because of
the Monroe doctrine, which was en-
acted to thwart future colonization
by European powers" in the New
world. The island is separated from
northeast Canada by narrow chan
nels.
Greenland is the only overseas
land under Danish influence having
the status of a colony" says the
National Geographic society. lice
land has been in effect an independ-
ent realm, but recognized the Dan
ISL king as sovereign. The Faeroe
islands were claSsed as a county
by Denmark.
Worlds Largest Island.
Greenland is the largest island
in the world" continues the bulle-
tin. 1T would require almost three
land areas the size of Texas to COW
er Greenland. If the island could be
set down on the United States with
its northernmost point on the Cana
dian border at North Dakota, its
southern tip would extend to the
mouth of the Rio Grande at Browns
vile, Texas. At its greatest width il
would spread across the United
States distance equal to that from
New York to Chicago Yet it has
only $1,000 mhabitants-40O Danes
and the remainder Eskimos.
THE island lies approximately in
the same latitude as the Scandina-
Wan peninsula. While Greenland is
flanked only by icy Arctic currents,
Scandinavia is bathed by the warm
Gulf Stream. In midwinter Green
land temperatures range from so to
60 degrees below zero. Willows anc
birch trees grow only from Is inches
to three feet high.
Moses and lichenS and a few
hardy flowers and shrubs spring to
sudden life in the summer along the
ice-free fringes of coast, but few
vegetables except radishes, turnips
and lettuce can be grown. Eskimos
live on polar bear, seal, walrus, car
ibou, white whale, narwhal and
musk OK, varying this diet with fish
and the eggs of the elder duck; the
brant goose and gull
Buried Under Ice.
"a vast ice sheet covers the is
land. The SHOWS of millenniums
have built up a crystal blanket that
in places is six or seven thousand
feet thick, burying deep valleys ano
mountains alike Central Greenland
is huge plateau of snow and ice
sufficient to cover the entire United
States with ice many hundreds Of
feet thick. This tremendous gla
cier has countless tentacles that ex
tend down into the coast fjords, ever
feeding icebergs to the ocean.
'Angmagsalik, a village of sever
al hundred Eskimos and a handful
of DaneS-a trader, missionary, doc
tor and a few minor Danish off
cials-is the only permanent settle
ment on the European side of Green
land. In the summer the flow from
glacial rivers centering at Angmag
Salik tends to break the ice flow
from the north, thus affording the
best approach to the coast.
When the famous Viking, EriI
the Red, discovered Greenland ir
983 A. D., he established a settle
ment west of Cape Farewell, on the
coast facing Canada On the narrow
ice-free strip of coast some 5,0O(
Scandinavians maintained a colony
at Ivigtut and another farther north
for several centuries. They bull
substantial houses, a cathedral, II
churches, monastery and con
vent. The settlement disappeared
before Columbus discovery Of
America.
Northwest Greenland was ex
plored and occupied as a base fol
American polar expeditions, notably
by Peary and Greedy.
The towns of Greenland are few
and unimportant. Godhaven, the
chief settlement, On the west coast
has only a few hundred inhabitants
Julianehaab, near the southwest
point Of the island, is close to the
site Of the settlement of Eric the
Red.
'Greenland's principal export has
always been blubber. mostly of tn
seal, from which oil is made. Dan
ish imports Of blubber, together with
skins, sailed and canned Ash, elder
down and feathers. amount tc
81 500, 900 a year. Denmark sells
mostly food-stuffs, tobacco. arms
and ammunition, lumber and hard.
MANA @o bar o0Iop,y for v,,b;ob Crao-