Why does Iceland have no ice and Greenland has ice?
Even though their names sound backwards, Iceland is greener and Greenland is icier. Iceland stays warmer because a warm ocean current (the Gulf Stream) flows past it, so plants can grow and only a small part is covered in ice. Greenland is much farther north and is mostly covered by a huge ice sheet.
The names come from history. Vikings named Iceland after seeing lots of ice when they arrived. Later, Erik the Red called the icy island Greenland to make it sound nicer and attract settlers. These were the people who came from Europe to live there.The settlers will probably think Iceland has ice and Greenland has grass.
