Is Greenland actually green?

In spite of its name, Greenland is not a very green land. There is some evidence that Greenland may have been green hundreds of thousands of years ago, but today the country is mostly covered in ice.

Some theories about Greenland's name focus on a story of a Viking exile who called his new home "Greenland" either out of sarcastic derision or in the hopes of attracting other settlers. Though Greenland is very icy, there are about 500 species of native flora on the island, including birch and willow tree species, meaning there is some greenery in Greenland, though not very much.