<P> In about 986 , the Norwegian Vikings Bjarni Herjólfsson , Leif Ericson and Þórfinnr Karlsefni from Greenland reached North America , over 500 years before Christopher Columbus , and they attempted to settle the land they called Vinland . They created a small settlement on the northern peninsula of present - day Newfoundland , near L'Anse aux Meadows . Conflict with indigenous peoples and lack of support from Greenland brought the Vinland colony to an end within a few years . The archaeological remains are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . </P>
<P> In about 986 , the Norwegian Vikings Bjarni Herjólfsson , Leif Ericson and Þórfinnr Karlsefni from Greenland reached North America , over 500 years before Christopher Columbus , and they attempted to settle the land they called Vinland . They created a small settlement on the northern peninsula of present - day Newfoundland , near L'Anse aux Meadows . Conflict with indigenous peoples and lack of support from Greenland brought the Vinland colony to an end within a few years . The archaeological remains are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site . </P>
where did the vikings land in the us
where did the vikings land in the us
northern peninsula of present - day Newfoundland , near L'Anse aux Meadows
northern peninsula of present - day Newfoundland , near L'Anse aux Meadows