Interesting facts about Greenland

1. Alaska was purchased in 1867: It is not at all that America has not purchased any area before. The country’s largest state, Alaska, was purchased by Washington from Russia in 1867. Both Alaska and Greenland have cold climate, low population density, strategic locations and oil reserves. Alaska, comprising 586,412 square miles, was then worth $7.2 million, which is approximately $153.5 million today.
2. How much is Greenland worth: According to a media report, the price of Greenland, spread over 836,000 square miles, can be estimated at $ 230.25 million, which is 50% more than the adjusted price of Alaska. Greenland’s GDP was $3.24 billion in 2021.
3. History of Greenland: Denmark and Norway used to be one country. These were known as the Dano-Norwegian region (Det Dansk-Norske Rij). They claimed sovereignty over the Greenland region. However, when Denmark and Norway separated in 1814, it was agreed between them that the colony of Greenland would henceforth be transferred to the Danish Crown. Greenland, with a population of 57,000, has been part of Denmark for 600 years.
4. Germany occupied: Greenland was part of the Danish royal family for about 140 years. Under the code name ‘Operation Weserübung’, Nazi Germany attacked Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940. Within a day Denmark surrendered and was occupied. Greenland became part of Hitler’s territory for some time. But knowing Greenland’s strategic location, the United States acted quickly and occupied Greenland before Hitler’s troops could land. America had control over Greenland for five years between 1940 and 1945.
5. Greenland handed over to Denmark: Denmark was liberated from Germany on May 5, 1945, five days after Hitler’s death during World War II. Months later, the United States decided to return Greenland to Denmark.
6. There is ‘home rule’ in Greenland: In 1953, Denmark officially integrated Greenland as part of its country. With this, the people of Greenland became citizens of Denmark. On May 1, 1979, Denmark decided to hand over a large part of governance to the residents of Greenland. Due to which he got permission for ‘Home Rule’. But Denmark kept all matters of foreign affairs and security within itself – which continues to this day.
7. Also tried to buy Greenland in the first place: America has already considered the possibility of buying Greenland. The 1946 US proposal contemplated purchasing Greenland in exchange for $100 million in gold, equivalent to more than $1.6 billion today. America purchased the US Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold (approximately $616.2 million in today’s terms). In 1803, Louisiana was purchased from France for 15 million dollars (about 418.8 million dollars in today’s terms).
8. Why is there interest in Greenland: There are many reasons for American interest in Greenland. This island is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It has some of the largest reserves of rare minerals, which are important in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech equipment. There is a large American military base in Greenland.
9. What is Trump’s plan? Trump, who took office on January 20, recently said he would not rule out the possibility of using military or economic measures against Denmark to annex Greenland to the United States. According to Trump, these islands are important to keep an eye on Chinese and Russian ships which are visible everywhere these days. He says that we need this for economic security.
10. Is Greenland easy to buy? In 2019, Trump canceled his trip to Denmark. In fact, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had rejected America’s idea of ​​buying Greenland. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen recently told Danish TV that ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people’ and only the local population can determine its future. He said ‘Greenland is not for sale’, but stressed that Denmark needed closer cooperation with NATO ally the US. (With IANS inputs)