Behind Trump’s threat: Why is Greenland so strategically important?
Behind Trump’s threat: Why is Greenland so strategically important?
The US President-elect does not rule out force to take over the Danish territory – home to a US military base.
Author: Unknown
Published on: 09/01/2025 | 00:00:00
AI Summary:
Republican leader refused to rule out using military or economic power to achieve the goal of taking over the autonomous Danish territory. Greenland is 80 percent covered in snow and is more than 3,000km (1,864 miles) from the US capital, Washington, DC. The island is home to some 56,000 people, mostly Indigenous Inuit people. Greenland joined the now-defunct European Community with Denmark in 1973, but left in 1985. The EU has replaced the European Community. On December 23, Trump said the island was not for sale and will never be for sale. Greenland is incredibly rich in minerals, including rare earth minerals used in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech industry. The economy of the island is largely reliant on its fishing industry. The US has long expressed an interest in the island. The Arctic island is 2.17 million square kilometres (836,330 square miles), making it about three times the size of the US state Texas. However, the Danish territory is perceived to be larger based on maps. On the Mercator map, Greenland territory is shown to be almost as large as Africa.
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