Hans Island / Tartupaluk 'Whiskey War' Partition
"The peaceful resolution of the Arctic 'Whiskey War' creating a land border between Canada and Europe"
For 49 years, Canadian and Danish military expeditions visited this barren 1.3 km² kidney-shaped Arctic rock in the Nares Strait, planting their flags and leaving behind bottles of Canadian Club or Danish Schnapps. On June 14, 2022, both nations agreed to split the island along a natural ravine.
Historical Genesis & Geopolitics
When the 1973 continental shelf border was surveyed, the 127 geodetic points skipped Hans Island because agreement could not be reached. The 2022 treaty created the first land border between Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark.
Cartographic Mechanism & Impact
A textbook example of peaceful international dispute resolution using high-resolution LiDAR topographic ravine mapping to split an island.
Signatory Parties & Sovereigns
- Canada
- Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland)