European colonization of the Americas began as early as the 10th - 11th century, when
West Norse sailors explored and briefly settled limited areas on the shores of present-day
Canada. These
Vikings were
Norwegians who had settled
Iceland, discovered
Greenland, then sailed up the
Arctic region of
North America alongside Greenland, and down alongside Canada to explore and settle. According to
Icelandic Sagas, violent conflicts with the indigenous population ultimately made the Norse abandon those settlements.