The UK Isn’t the First to Leave a European Union

Great Britain's vote to exit from the European Union (E.U.) may have come as a shock to politicians and voters and the world, but it's not the first time a member state has left the group. Greenland was the first and only one until now.

In the early 1970s, an early version of the E.U. was created, called the European Communities. At the time, Greenland was a member of the organization since it was still part of Denmark's commonwealth called The Danish Realm, which joined the European Communities in 1973.

In 1979, Greenland was granted home rule away from Denmark and in 1982, they held a referendum on their continued membership in the European Community, similar to the British vote held last week.

Though the European Communities were focused on economic policies and was less binding and politically powerful than what became the E.U. of today in 1993, the newly independent Greenland was not convinced they wanted to participate.

The majority voted to end their membership and, after two years of negotiations, they formally left the group in 1985. Greenland became the first and only member state to leave a European collaborative since.

There are a number of obvious differences to note between Greenland and Great Britain's decisions — the clearest being the size and influence of the two economies.

The United Kingdom is a global superpower with a diverse economy and global financial hub that is intricately involved in the financial funding of E.U. policies, while Greenland's economy has been largely focused around fishing exports.

Greenland has remained independent from the E.U.