Greenlanders are heading to the polls today to vote in a snap general election amid geopolitical tensions stirred by President Donald Trump’s claims to make Greenland – currently a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark – a part of the United States.
Last month, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede called for an early election in a social media post, stating, “We are in a serious time. A time we have never experienced in our country. The time is not for internal division but for cooperation and unity for our country. I am once again more than ready to work for you and to lead our country.”
Since Trump’s return to office, he has reignited discussions about taking control of Greenland, something he first spoke about in 2019, given its strategic location and resource-rich land.
Where is Greenland and who lives there?
Located mostly within the Arctic Circle, Greenland is the world’s largest island and is geographically part of North America.
About 80 percent of Greenland is covered by glaciers, so most of its population lives along the coastline. The capital, Nuuk, is the most populated area, home to about one-third of Greenland’s 56,000 residents.
Some 95 percent of the population is Protestant, while the remaining 5 percent is either secular or belongs to religious minorities, including traditional Inuit spiritual groups.
At about 2500 BCE, the first Inuit people settled in Greenland.
In the 10th century, Norse explorers arrived in Greenland and established settlements. By 1814, Denmark had officially made Greenland a colony.
Though a Danish territory, Greenland became self-governing in 1979 after more than two centuries under Danish control. It is one of Denmark’s two autonomous territories, with the Faroe Islands being the other.
In 1941, during World War II, the US and Denmark agreed to allow American forces to defend Greenland. Its strategic location was vital for countering German submarines and securing shipping routes. The US maintained a military presence throughout the Cold War, using Greenland for early-warning radar and monitoring Soviet activity.
In 2009, Greenland gained self-rule over most of its internal affairs, including control over natural resources and governance. However, Denmark still handles foreign policy, defence and funding.
A history of US takeover requests
The takeover of Greenland has been proposed numerous times throughout history.
1867 – The then-US secretary of state explored purchasing Greenland and Iceland from Denmark, but Denmark showed no interest in selling.
1910 – A three-way land swap which would involve the US acquiring Greenland in exchange for giving Denmark parts of the US-held Philippines, and the return of Northern Schleswig from Germany back to Denmark was proposed.
1946 – The US secretly offered Denmark $100m in gold for Greenland. It was considered a “military necessity” under President Harry Truman.
1955 – US joint chiefs of staff recommended trying to buy Greenland to ensure military access, but no official offer was made.
2019 – Trump first floated the idea of the US purchasing Greenland from Denmark, however, it was rejected by Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. This led to Trump’s cancellation of a state visit to Copenhagen.
2025 – President Trump said that owning Greenland was a “necessity” for US security. In February, Republican Congressman Earl “Buddy” Carter introduced a bill to the House of Representatives that would authorise the president to enter into negotiations with the government of Denmark to purchase or otherwise acquire Greenland.
Why is there a US military base in Greenland?
Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, is located in the northwestern corner of Greenland. It is the Department of Defense’s northernmost installation, and is operated by the 821st Space Base Group and part of Space Base Delta 1.
The base supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance missions and satellite command and control. It is strategically positioned to counter Russian activities in the Arctic.
About 650 personnel are stationed at the base, including US Air Force and Space Force members, as well as Canadian, Danish and Greenlandic civilian contractors.
![A view of Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) in Greenland, October 4, 2023 [Ritzau Scanpix/Thomas Traasdahl via REUTERS]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-01-08T133210Z_1316935561_RC2PL3AZGRLZ_RTRMADP_3_GREENLAND-USA-1736400545.jpg?resize=770%2C513)
Under a 1951 agreement with Denmark, the US is permitted to establish and maintain military facilities in Greenland as part of mutual defence within the NATO framework.
Denmark also has a military presence in Greenland under the Joint Arctic Command, which is headquartered in Nuuk, where its main tasks are surveillance and search and rescue operations, and the “assertion of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands”, according to Danish Defence.
What are Greenland’s resources?
Greenland is rich in natural resources, including zinc, lead, gold, iron ore, rare earth elements (REEs), copper and oil.
It is home to some of the world’s largest deposits of rare earths used in high-tech industries. These resources have attracted significant attention, including from Trump, who recently attempted to negotiate with Ukraine to access its minerals.
Gold pockets exist in areas like Nanortalik and south Greenland. It also has deposits of diamonds in the Maniitsoq region.
Copper deposits are largely unexplored in Greenland, according to the Mineral Resources Authority, with areas in the northeast and central east largely untapped. Iron ore deposits are dotted around West Greenland, while nickel traces have been found around the island’s southwest coast.
Graphite, used mostly in EV batteries and steelmaking, is also reported to exist in Greenland, with exploration around Amitsoq. While zinc has been found in the north of Greenland, titanium and vanadium deposits are located in the southwest, east and south of the territory. Tungsten is also found in central east and northeast Greenland with assessed deposits in the south and west.
How big is Greenland in reality?
On some map projections, which enlarge landmasses near the poles, Greenland appears much bigger than it really is.
In reality, the Arctic island covers 2.17 million square kilometres (836,330 square miles), making it roughly three times the size of the US state of Texas, or about the same size as Saudi Arabia, Mexico or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
