Hans Island

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

The Hans Island ( Greenlandic Tartupaluk, Danish Hans Ø, English Hans Iceland, French Île Hans ) is a small, uninhabited and without vegetation island of about 1.3 km ². It is located 350 kilometers north of Greenland Qaanaaq ( Thule) in the center of the Kennedy Channel, a part of the Naresstraße extending between the Canadian Ellesmere Island and northern Greenland. The Hans Island is the smallest of the three islands in the Kennedy Channel; the others are Franklin Island and Crozier the Island.

Name

The island was named probably 1871-1873 during the third North Pole expedition of Francis Hall to the Greenland expedition Hans Hendrik ( Greenlandic Suersaq, 1834-1889 ), who participated in several Arctic expeditions 1853-1883 to.

History

The Inuit who live in the northern Greenland and northern Canada, cross the area for centuries.

Contested sovereignty

The sovereignty over the island has been controversial for some time. It is claimed by both Denmark, Greenland represents the autonomous foreign policy, as well as from Canada. From a Canadian point of view it belongs to the territory of Nunavut, from the Danish perspective to Greenland Qaasuitsup municipality. As the border between Greenland and Canada agreed in 1973, you took from this island and adjourned a decision to a later date. Officially exists on the map to the agreement between Denmark and Canada from 1973 (see location map ) between the points 122 and 123, between which lies the island, no limit.

The long-term interests of both countries establish itself in the global warming. Currently, the island is surrounded most of the year by ice, but on the basis of climate change, it is possible that future fishing around the island or the search for oil is possible.

2004, a conflict arose between Canada and Denmark around the island, as their control for a Northwest Passage has a strategic importance. Canada sent to enforce his claims a warship and a helicopter squadron before it came in September 2005, an agreement between the two countries with a common administration of the island.