Canada and Denmark have at last officially agreed to share the tiny uninhabited Hans Island. The island was witness to a ‘friendly’ war between the two nations that was dubbed the ‘whiskey wars’ by the media.
Why was it called Whiskey Wars?
Both countries have been “fighting” the “Whiskey Wars” to settle competing claims over Hans Island since 1971. Both nations have buried liquor bottles from their respective nations on the island, leading to the term “Whiskey Wars”. Tuesday’s agreement ensures Denmark gets 60% of the island while the remaining portion goes to Canada.
Located in the Kennedy channel of the Nares strait, the uninhabited island is 1100 kilometres away from the North Pole.
How did the ‘Whiskey Wars’ happen?
In 1973 both the countries decided to draw a border through the strait, yet both deferred the option of owning this island. In 1984 Canada made a claim to own the island by planting the Maple Leaf flag and burying a bottle of Canadian whiskey.
Not to be outdone, Denmark’s minister of Greenland raised a Danish flag in place of the Canadian one on the island and buried a bottle of Danish schnapps at its base. The minister also cheekily added a note which said, “Welcome to the Danish Island,” leading to the beginning of the ‘Whiskey Wars’.
The solution
For the next 49 years, many Canadians and Danes took part in this bizarre ritual leading to visitors describing the area as a sea of tattered flags and notices. It was only in 2018 that both the countries decided to establish a joint working group to solve the long-standing dispute.
“It sends a clear signal that it is possible to resolve border disputes… in a pragmatic and peaceful way, where all parties become winners,” said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod after the two countries decided to solve the issue.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly agreed saying “when you look at what’s going on in the world right now,” referring to the conflict in Ukraine, “we really wanted to give more momentum and renew our energies to make sure that we would find a solution.”
Foreign ministers of both the countries exchanged bottles of their respective liquors for the last time on Tuesday, officially concluding what Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called “the friendliest of all wars.
