Hans Island, the island contested by Denmark and Canady with booze as weapons

1 Introduction

I’ve heard of some strange wars but this might be the absolute strangest. It’s a tiny island in the Arctic Ocean that is contested by Canada and Denmark, and of course, it’s called Hans Island. There is no water on this island. It has no natural resources, and it has never had any people living on it. This island’s only claim to fame is that both Canada and Denmark want the sovereignty over it.

2 Hans Island is a small uninhabited island; its size is about 1.3 km2.

Hans Island is a small uninhabited island; its size is about 1.3 km2. It’s located in the Arctic Ocean, within Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island in the Nares Strait, which is the strait between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.

3 It is located in Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island in the Arctic Ocean. The strait between Ellesmere Island and Greenland is known as Nares Strait, and it divides Canada (to the west) and Denmark (to the east).

Hans Island is a small uninhabited island; its size is about 1.3 km2. It is located in Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island in the Arctic Ocean, and it belongs to Denmark. The strait between Ellesmere Island and Greenland is known as Nares Strait, and it divides Canada (to the west) from Denmark (to the east).

Hans Island has been a disputed territory since 1973 when Canada claimed ownership of Hans Island based on its location within its territorial waters. However, Denmark has refused to recognize this claim because Nares Strait lies between Canada’s territorial sea and international waters - where no country has exclusive jurisdiction over an island like Hans.

4 In 1973, Canada claimed sovereignty over the waters dividing it from Greenland, so they were considered Canadian waters. However, in 1999, Denmark staked its claim to those waters.

The dispute over Hans Island began in 1973 when Canada claimed sovereignty over the waters dividing it from Greenland, so they were considered Canadian waters. However, in 1999, Denmark staked its claim to those waters.

The dispute was over who owned the island and who had the right to it.

5 Danish soldiers spread Danish flags on the ground and left bottles of schnaps, while Canadian soldiers left whiskey once they came to pay their respects. Thus began a years-long booze battle over the island.

In fact, the island has been contested for over a century. Danish soldiers spread Danish flags on the ground and left bottles of schnaps, while Canadian soldiers left whiskey once they came to pay their respects. Thus began a years-long booze battle over the island.

Thus began a years-long booze battle over the island. Along with some other stuff, it looks like this:

6 This has been going on for around 13 years now, which makes it a pretty long-lasting rivalry for something that started out as a joke.

This has been going on for around 13 years now, which makes it a pretty long-lasting rivalry for something that started out as a joke. In 1973, Denmark and Canada established their territorial claims over Hans Island. However, at the time, neither country had any real way of enforcing those claims due to their sparse populations and lack of military presence in the region. Instead of fighting over it or ignoring it entirely (the preferred method of dealing with disputed pieces of land), Denmark sent some bottles of schnapps to Canada’s High Commission in Ottawa along with a note reading: “We greet you cordially! On behalf of His Royal Majesty King Frederick IX I hereby claim this territory for Denmark!”

As you might expect from two countries involved in an international dispute involving booze as weapons, Canada did not respond well to this gesture—or rather, they responded perfectly; by sending back four bottles of Canadian Club whisky and another note saying: “You’re welcome to keep Greenland."

7 Conclusion

So there you have it, the great booze battle of Hans Island. It started out as a friendly rivalry and got a bit too out of hand. The topic of who owns the island has actually been brought up at meetings between presidents and prime ministers; it’s even been mentioned in parliament. Maybe one day these two countries will get together and figure something out, but until then we’ll just have to wait for more schnaps and whiskey bottles to pop up on the island.