Here’s a fun geography fact for you. Did you know that you can technically step into Denmark from Canada? It’s all thanks to a small, unpopulated island called Hans Island, situated in Nunavut.
Known as “Tartupaluk” in Greenlandic, the fascinating island is halfway between Canada’s northernmost island, Ellesmere Island, and Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. For decades, Canadians and Danes contested each other’s claim to the tiny floating rock, but the friendly dispute was officially quelled in 2022 after a settlement was reached between the two governments.
The agreement effectively split the island down the middle, or roughly. This means Hans Island technically has a land border between Canada and Denmark, stretching north to south, allowing visitors on either side to cross over.
The “Whisky War”
“A ceremonial exchange of liquor bottles signalled the end of the long-running ‘Whisky War’ between the two nations,” explains the Library of Congress. “Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, and Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte B. Egede exchanged bottles of Canadian maple whiskey Sortilège and Danish bitter Gammel Dansk to celebrate the agreement, leading to the establishment of the first land border between Canada and Denmark, much to the delight of trivia enthusiasts everywhere.”
The “Whisky War” dates back to the early ’80s, when Denmark’s Minister of Greenlandic Affairs, Tom Hoeyem, personally planted a Danish flag in the area where Canada operated an independent petroleum company. In response, the Canadian government raised the Canadian flag and left behind a bottle of whisky, which the Danes returned with bottles of schnapps. This back-and-forth went on for years, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia.
A milestone for Inuit rights
The Arctic Institute adds that the 2022 agreement marks a historic milestone for the future of Inuit rights in the region.
While uninhabited, the island has played a huge role culturally and historically to the Inuit of both Nunavut, Canada, and the Inughuit of Avanersuaq in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). The closest Inughuit hamlet, Siorapaluk, is 349 km south of Hans Island, while the closest Inuit settlement lies 603 km southwest.
According to the Institute, the island was used by Inughuit Greenlanders for hundreds of years as a staging point for hunting, as well as an observatory for identifying marine mammals on the surrounding sea ice.
The agreement ensures that both Indigenous groups retain their freedom of movement throughout the island for “hunting, fishing and other related cultural, traditional, historic and future activities.”
Visiting the island
So if you can find a way to fly from Iqaluit to Resolute Bay, Nunavut’s closest settlement to Hans Island/Tartupaluk, and hop on a boat, you can walk right up to the border between Canada and Denmark.
Hans Island/Tartupaluk
Where: Nunavut, Canada
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