Western Settlement

The Western Settlement (Old Norse: Vestribygð [ˈwestreˌbyɣð]) was a group of farms and communities established by Norsemen from Iceland around 985 in medieval Greenland.

Despite its name, the Western Settlement was more north than west of its companion Eastern Settlement and was located at the bottom of the deep Nuup Kangerlua fjord (inland from Nuuk, the modern-day Greenlandic capital).

[3][4] The demise of the Western Settlement coincides with a decrease in temperatures commonly known as the Little Ice Age.

The study also examined the insects' diet to determine the conditions at the end of the colony's existence.

After a very poor growing season, the final colonists began consuming their dogs and livestock and were likely near starvation during the winter.

Map of the Western Settlement of the Norse in medieval Greenland , in the modern municipality of Sermersooq . The known farms (red dots) and churches are identified, as well as some probable geographical names. "The farm under the sand" is more commonly known as "GUS" from its Danish name " Gården under sandet ".