Danish nationality law in the context of "Greenland–European Union relations"

Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. It shares a small 1.2 km border with Canada on Hans Island. Citizens of Greenland are full citizens of Denmark and of the European Union. Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union and is part of the Council of Europe. It is the world's largest island, and lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland's Kaffeklubben Island, off the northern coast, is the world's northernmost undisputed point of land—Cape Morris Jesup on the mainland was thought to be so until the 1960s. The capital and largest city is Nuuk. Economically, Greenland is heavily reliant on aid from Denmark, amounting to nearly half of the territory's total public revenue.

Though a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with the European kingdoms of Norway and Denmark for more than a millennium, beginning in 986. Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by circumpolar peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now Canada. Norsemen from Norway settled the uninhabited southern part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century (having previously settled Iceland), and their descendants lived in Greenland for 400 years until disappearing in the late 15th century. The 13th century saw the arrival of Inuit.

The Greenlandic Inuit or sometimes simply the Greenlandic are an ethnic group and nation Indigenous to Greenland, where they constitute the largest ethnic population. They share a common ancestry, culture, and history; and natively speak the Greenlandic language. As Greenland is a territory within the Danish Realm, citizens of Greenland are both citizens of Denmark and of the European Union.

Approximately 89 percent of Greenland's population of 57,695 is Greenlandic Inuit, or 51,349 people as of 2012. Ethnographically, they consist of three major groups:

The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark (Danish: Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution (Danish: Grundloven, Faroese: Grundlógin, Greenlandic: Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, applying equally in the Realm of Denmark: Denmark proper, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The first democratic constitution was adopted in 1849, replacing the 1665 absolutist constitution. The current constitution is from 1953. The Constitutional Act has been changed a few times. The wording is general enough to still apply today.

The constitution defines Denmark as a constitutional monarchy, governed through a parliamentary system. It creates separations of power between the Folketing, which enact laws, the government, which implements them, and the courts, which makes judgment about them. In addition it gives a number of fundamental rights to people in Denmark, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly. The constitution applies to all persons in Denmark, not just Danish citizens.

Greenlanders (Greenlandic: Kalaallit; Danish: Grønlændere), also called Greenlandics or Greenlandic people, are the people of Greenland. Most speak Greenlandic, an Eskaleut language. Greenlandic Inuit make up 85–90% of the people of Greenland.

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm, and its citizens hold Danish nationality. In 986, Erik the Red led Norse settlers to Greenland's southwest coast, where they coexisted with indigenous cultures. Greenland came under Norwegian rule in 1261 and later became part of the Kalmar Union in 1397. From the 16th to 18th centuries, European expeditions led by Portugal, Denmark–Norway, and missionaries like Hans Egede, sought Greenland for trade, sovereignty, and the rediscovery of lost Norse settlements, ultimately leading to Danish colonization.