In 1953, Greenland, which had previously been a Danish colony, was integrated into the Kingdom of Denmark. In the 1970s, the local population began calling for the island’s status to be reviewed and for it to be given greater political and economic independence. This led to the adoption of the Home Rule Act by the Danish Parliament on 29 November 1978. The new status was approved by a local referendum on 17 January 1979 and entered into force on 1 May 1979.