Canada and Denmark peacefully split Arctic Hans Island after decades of flag and whisky exchanges

Canada and Denmark reached a diplomatic agreement in June 2022 that divided Hans Island between them, ending a long-standing Arctic border dispute.

Hans Island, a barren 1.2-square-kilometre rock in the Kennedy Channel, has been the focus of a quirky sovereignty dispute between Canada and Denmark since the 1970s. Early encounters involved Canadian officials planting a flag and leaving Canadian Club whisky, which Danish crews later replaced with a Danish flag and schnapps. The symbolic “Whisky War” continued with occasional naval visits, including the Danish frigate HDMS Vaedderen in 2002 and its sister ship in 2003, prompting Canada to send defence minister Bill Graham in 2005.

A joint Canadian-Danish-Greenland task force was created in 2018, and on 14 June 2022 the two foreign ministers signed an agreement at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in Ottawa that split the island, giving Denmark the larger portion. The ceremony featured the traditional exchange of whisky and schnapps, underscoring the friendly resolution. Officials highlighted the deal as a model of peaceful border settlement and a sign of growing cooperation in the Arctic and beyond.