There was never a clash of arms between the Danes and the Canadians, but both countries did not want to give the island to the other without a fight. That is why the piece of land, which lies between Greenland and the Canadian island of Ellesmere, is now divided in two. Exactly half way through the border since today. Meticulously measured, so that both countries can claim the same amount of territory.
The conflict started in 1973. In that year Canada and Denmark decided where the border should come through the Strait of Nares. That waterway runs between Canada and Greenland, which is administratively part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
And at the very top in the middle of the street is that tiny Hans Island, which is named after the Greenlandic explorer Hans Hendrik.
It is nothing more than a rock, on Google Maps you have to zoom in very far before you see it. Moreover, an island without any form of life. And it does not have significant minerals or other natural sources either, the AP news agency knows.
And yet both countries claimed the piece of earth, because the Arctic around it does offer many natural resources, the scientific magazine Kijk reported last year.
Whiskey war
In 1984 the struggle took a new turn. The Danish Minister for Greenland Affairs planted a flag on the island and buried a bottle of schnapps with it. On a note he wrote: “Welcome to the Danish island”.
The Canadians did not tolerate this brutality and started to put their own stamp on the island with their own flag and a bottle of Canadian brandy under their arm. Since then, both countries alternately plant their flags on the island and the battle has come to be called the Whiskey War.
But this conflict has now come to an end for good. “We are sending a clear signal that it is possible to resolve conflicts across border areas in a peaceful and pragmatic way, with both sides coming out victorious,” said Danish Foreign Minister Kofod.
He calls it an “important signal now that there is so much war and unrest in the world”. It is not clear whether Danish and Canadian officials have now toasted with a glass of whiskey.
