Nearly 50 Years of International Dispute

©iStock/fpdress

For 49 years, both Denmark and Canada have claimed ownership over a 1.3 square kilometre lump – a barren and uninhabited rock off the north-western coast of Greenland, Hans Island, which is not much to look at.

Recently, the two countries agreed to divide the tiny island between them. It’s unclear who gets to keep the half-dozen bottles of Danish schnapps and Canadian brandy that visitors left behind.

Read on to learn more about this uninhabited island and why it has caused nearly 50 years of international dispute.