Native name:
| |
|---|---|
 Hans Island from the east (Greenlandic) side | |
 Location of Hans Island, between Greenland and Ellesmere Island | |
  Hans Island  Hans Island | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 80°49′35″N 66°27′30″W / 80.82639°N 66.45833°W[1] |
| Area | 1.3 km2 (0.50 sq mi) |
| Length | 1,290 m (4230 ft) |
| Width | 1,199 m (3934 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 168 m (551 ft) |
| Administration | |
Canada | |
| Territory | Nunavut |
| Region | Qikiqtaaluk |
| Autonomous territory | Greenland |
| Municipality | Avannaata |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited (2022) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zones | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
 | |
.png)
Hans Island (Inuktitut and Greenlandic: Tartupaluk, lit. 'kidney shaped';[2] Inuktitut syllabics: ᑕᕐᑐᐸᓗᒃ; Danish: Hans Ø; French: île Hans, pronounced [il ɑ̃(n)s]) is an island in the centre of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic region, split between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland. The island itself is barren and uninhabited with an area of 130 hectares (320 acres), measuring 1,290 by 1,199 metres (4,232 by 3,934 ft), and a maximum elevation of 168.17 m (551.7 ft).[3] Its location in the strait that separates Ellesmere Island of Canada from northern Greenland was for years a border dispute, the so-called Whisky War between the two countries of Canada and Denmark. Hans Island is the smallest of three islands in Kennedy Channel off the Washington Land coast; the others are Franklin Island and Crozier Island. The strait at this point is 35 km (22 mi) wide, placing the island within the territorial waters of both Canada and Denmark (Greenland). A 1,280-metre-long (4,200 ft) shared border traverses the island.
The island has likely been part of Inuit hunting grounds since the 14th century.[4] It was claimed by both Canada and Denmark[5] until 14 June 2022, when both countries agreed to split the disputed island roughly in half. In accordance with the Greenland home rule treaty, Denmark handles certain foreign affairs, such as border disputes, on behalf of the entire Danish Realm. The nearest populated places are Alert, Canada (198 km [123 mi], pop. 62); Siorapaluk, Greenland (349 km [217 mi], pop. 68); and Qaanaaq, Greenland (379 km [235 mi], pop. 656).
- ^ "Hans Island". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ Skydsgaard, Nikolaj (14 June 2022). "Canada and Denmark divide small Arctic island, ending ownership dispute". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HarrisonOther2007awas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Whose Hans?". Canadian Geographic. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
- ^ McKernan, Bethan (13 November 2015). "Canada and Denmark are locked in an adorable war". i100.co.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2015.