Few people know that Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark have long been at war, but this confrontation is bloodless and only causes a condescending smile.
Two states can not divide the tiny island of Hans, located in the Kennedy Strait between Greenland and Ellesmere. This piece of land with an area of only 1.3 square kilometers is completely uninhabited. There is no fertile soil, no plants, no living creatures.
It would seem, who needs such a useless stone block? But in international relations it is not customary to abandon their claims on the territory, and Canada and Denmark have been waging a strange conflict here for more than 8 decades. It consists in the fact that once every few months the island of Hans is visited by the sailors of the Royal Canadian Navy. They lower the flag of Denmark here, raise their banner and, leaving the enemy with some modest gift, they retire. Then the Royal Danish Naval Forces appear, which return their flag to its previous position, take the present and, leaving another one in return, also sail away in peace.
History of the conflict over the island of Hans
The reason the gray boulder in the ocean has become a stumbling block in relations between the two countries is the location of the island. By chance, Hans Island is located at a point where geography is stronger than international norms. The fact is that this piece of land is located right in the middle of the strait separating Greenland and the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Taking into account the boundaries of territorial waters, enshrined in international law, the island is simultaneously the territory of both Canada and Denmark. This is a unique case, and therefore the claims of both parties can continue indefinitely.
In 1933, the issue was raised at a court hearing of the League of Nations, and the island of Hans was eventually given to Denmark with a creak. However, the remoteness of the disputed territory and the subsequent abolition of the League of Nations led to the fact that this decision lost all legal force. In the 70s, Canada and Denmark tried to resolve the issue again by drawing a maritime border between each other, but neither side was willing to cede the tiny island of Hans to the other. And then, in view of more serious foreign policy issues, both states forgot about their differences for a long time.
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Until 2004, Canadian oppositionists used Hans Island as an excuse to increase their country's defense spending. And in July 2005, Canadian sailors landed on the island together with the Minister of Defense, erecting a stone sculpture there and hoisting their national flag. This naturally provoked a protest from the Danish side. She hastened to strike back at rivals, while maintaining goodwill and a sense of humor.
War of alcoholic drinks
The Danes arrived on the island of Hans and set up their proud banner there, having first lowered the enemy. In addition, they placed a bottle of good schnapps on the stone with the inscription: "Welcome to Danish soil, help yourself." The Canadians, in turn, subsequently performed a similar manipulation with the flags and gratefully took the drink. In return, they left a bottle of whiskey on the island under the sign: "Welcome to Canada." This hilarious tradition, informally called the "war of alcoholic drinks", is supported by Canadian and Danish sailors to this day.
