Hans Island

Hans Island is a small, empty island in the Arctic. It sits right in the middle of the Nares Strait. Part of the island belongs to Canada, in the territory of Nunavut, and part belongs to Greenland, which is part of Denmark.

The island is very small. It covers about 130 hectares. It is about 1,290 meters long and 1,199 meters wide.

For many years, Canada and Denmark did not agree about who the island belonged to. This disagreement was called the "Whisky War" because both countries left bottles of whisky on the island to show their claim. There was no real fighting. In June 2022, the two countries agreed to split the island almost equally.

Hans Island has been a place where Inuit people hunted for many years. Today, the island is quiet and empty, but it is important because of the agreement between Canada and Denmark.

Geology

Hans Island is made of limestone from a very long time ago. The rocks there show us what the sea creatures were like back then.

The island also has marks that show glaciers moved over it and changed the land.

Etymology

The island is named after Hans Hendrik, whose Greenlandic name was Suersaq. Hendrik was an Arctic traveller and translator. He worked on many Arctic trips from 1853 to 1876.

Before 2005, people thought the island was named during a trip led by Charles Francis Hall from 1871 to 1873. The island was first written about in a book from 1876 by Charles Henry Davis. The book was about Hall's journey to the North Pole. The island was also mentioned in a book from 1879 by Emil Bessels, who was the doctor on that trip.

Even earlier, in 1857, Elisha Kent Kane wrote about seeing a small island. He named it Hans Island after his helper, Hans Hendrik, during an earlier Arctic trip. This helps explain the island's name.

History and disputed sovereignty

Main article: Whisky War

The fight over Hans Island, called the Whisky War, is often called "the friendliest war" because it was one of the most peaceful boundary disputes in history.

Early history

People from Inuit communities in northern Greenland or Canada likely knew about the island for hundreds of years. In the mid-1800s, European explorers began looking at the area.

In 1933, an international court decided Greenland belonged to Denmark. Denmark says rocks and land show Hans Island is part of Greenland, so it should belong to Denmark too.

1972–73 border treaty

In 1972, teams from Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark measured Hans Island. When they talked about drawing their sea border in 1973, both countries said the island should belong to them, but they could not agree.

A treaty signed that year drew a line for the sea border north and south of the island but left a gap right around Hans Island.

Joint administration

In the 1980s, a writer in Greenland told a story about someone wearing a hat that said "Hans Island, N.W.T."

Denmark and Canada talked about working together to protect the ocean around the island. Denmark put a flag on the island and left a small note. Canada replied with its own flag and a bottle of Canadian drink.

Media attention and continuing negotiations

The dispute became famous in 2004 when news stories said Denmark had sent ships to the island.

Canada and Denmark kept the dispute light-hearted. When Danish forces visited, they left a bottle of special drink. When Canadian forces came, they left a bottle of Canadian drink and a sign.

Talks to solve the issue started in 2012. In 2018, the two countries created a special team to decide the border.

Resolution

In June 2022, Canada and Denmark agreed to split Hans Island down the middle after many years of talks. The border now runs through the center of the island. The treaty was approved by Denmark's parliament in December 2023.

The new border allows people to visit the whole island without passport checks.

The new border according to the treaty and laws

Denmark passed its final law on the border in December 2023. The treaty has three points on the land and many points at sea to draw the border. The three land points are:

• Point T1: 80° 49′ 17.2″ N 66° 27′ 02.4″ W
• Point T2: 80° 49′ 33.1″ N 66° 27′ 52.3″ W
• Point T3: 80° 49′ 54.6″ N 66° 27′ 24.0″ W