How green is Greenland?
The name 'Greenland' is more than a thousand years old. It would have been better to name the largest island in the world, with an area of 2.175.000 km², 'Iceland'. However, according to an old saga of and about Erik the Red, the land he had discovered was only attractive if it had a beautiful name. He therefore named it Greenland (Kalâtdlit Nunât). Erik the Red was banished from Norway and later from Iceland. In 982, he landed in Greenland for the first time.
After that, it was on Greenland, partly due to his stories, a colony was founded by Scandinavians. But the official colonization took place through Hans Egede en Gertrud Rask who were on board the 'Håbet' and went ashore on the island of 'De Hoop' in 1721. Egede was born on January 31, 1686, and was a Norwegian priest of Danish descent. He was Bishop of Greenland until 1740. More expeditions followed later.
The indigenous population of Greenland is primarily Inuit, a people who show similarity and solidarity with the Inuits in Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. The capital is Nuuk (Gothåb) and the island has 59.300 inhabitants. In Thule an American army base is located.
The first stamps from Greenland mainly depict polar bears, harp seals, and seabirds.
Despite the harsh climate, approximately 500 plant species are found in Greenland, including even a few species of orchids.
Fields and meadows are sown in the summer with, among others, heather, speedwell, cotton grass, and buttercup.
chamomile, dandelion, harebell, gentian, saxifrage and the creeping poppy.
The climate in Greenland is indeed the reason why there are hardly any trees there. Here and there, in the shelter of the fjords, stand a few birches.
The very small (10 to 20 cm high) creeping dwarf birch is common.
What will Greenland look like in a few decades now that the ice is melting at a furious pace? Truly completely green? Then, unfortunately, it will fully live up to its name! A prescient view by Erik the Red? 
Wonderful story, Cees! I would like to add something about Thule. Some collectors will be familiar with the 1935 series issued to commemorate the fact that Knud Rasmussen founded the THULE branch 25 years earlier.
zie http://www.geocities.com/vanschoendoos/thule.htm
Well, Thule is located quite far north in Greenland, so the snow won't melt there anytime soon, unless the American army base expands even further.
I had to search for a bit, but Greenland also appears in my police collection. Police assignments are carried out there by the “Sled Dog Patrol Sirius” (named after the constellation Canis Major). In 1975, a stamp featuring this patrol unit was issued in Greenland for the first time (Mi. 95), and again in 2000 in connection with the 50th anniversary of Sirius (Mi 346).
It is wonderful to see how Cees creates a beautiful image of Greenland with just a few stamps.
I noticed a lot of cool stamps indeed while looking them up: the Sirius Patrol as Willem already mentioned, but also other sled dog stamps, Vikings, and who knew that sheep farms exist in Greenland? (2006 stamp)
I think that wool is then used, among other things, to knit those beautiful sweaters that can be seen on a number of stamps, including those of the Womans Association. (1998).
A nice country to collect, I think, but I am now discovering that even as a motif collector, you should definitely take a look at Greenland.
Would more stamps with less snow, and perhaps different flora and fauna, appear alongside climate change? A fun theme to ponder.
I thought there were only 400 plant species, but yeah…