Nordic colonialism of the land inhabited by Arctic indigenous peoples, although having earlier precedents in the region, came
into full force with the mercantilism of 17th- and 18th-century Europe, and the subsequently confirmed dissolution in 1814 of
the Denmark–Norway personal union as a result of their losses in the Napoleonic Wars. The colonial powers in the Nordic region
from this point onwards were Sweden and Denmark. There are approximately 400,000 Arctic indigenous people residing in the circumpolar region, divided between eight Arctic countries; Canada, United States, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark. There are over 40 different ethnic groups indigenous to the Arctic, including amongst others the Sámi [also spelled Saami] in circumpolar areas of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and north-west Russia; Nenets, Khanty, Evenk and Chukchi in Russia; Aleut, Yupik, and Inuit (Iñupiat) in Alaska; Inuit (Inuvialuit) in Canada; and Inuit (Kalaallit) in Greenland. This article outlines the historical contexts of both Sweden-Saami and Greenland-Inuit.