by World Citizenship Council (WCC)
Lately there has been so much talk about Greenland with President Trump, discussing a proposal of buying Greenland from Denmark.
This is a very interesting topic! Let us quickly learn a thing or two about Greenland.
First, There is no such thing as Greenlandic citizenship. Greenland is part of Denmark, so you have to become a Danish citizen
Secondly, Greenland also does not have its own passport, instead Danish passports are issued. Greenland maintains it’s own autonomy, it is not yet an independent country.
Even though Denmark is a part of EU and Schengen, Greenland is not. Special rules apply for foreigners coming from a Schengen country.
Although Greenland is a part of the Danish Kingdom, it is a separate area when it comes to travel and staying. This means that a permit to stay in Denmark doesn’t give you a permit to stay in Greenland. And likewise, a permit to stay in Greenland will not give you the right to stay in Denmark.
The relevant authorities in Denmark make rulings on permits to stay and work in Greenland in accordance with the Greenlandic Foreigners Act of the Kingdom of Denmark. People with residence permit to Denmark do not automatically have the right to travel to and stay in Greenland. a special permit is needed for this.
Greenland grants permanent resident status after 3 years of living, or in some cases less than this time.
Why there is so much interest in buying Greenland?
There has been proposals to purchase Greenland from Denmark have occasionally been made both within the United States Government and in direct offer to the Danish Crown. This is not the first time US has offered a price.
Following World War II, the United States developed a geopolitical interest in Greenland, and in 1946 the United States offered to buy the island from Denmark for $100,000,000. Denmark refused to sell it.
In 1946, the United States offered Denmark $100 million in gold bullion for Greenland. FT Alphaville estimated a $1.1 trillion price for the Greenland territory with valued potential oil fields at $300 to 400 billion, rare-earth minerals at $500 to 700 billion, and real estate at $200 to $220 billion. Greenland has some of the largest deposits of rare-earth metals, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, along with uranium and the byproducts of zinc.
An acquisition of Greenland by the United States if goes through, would make the U.S. the second-largest nation in the world by land area, after the Russian Federation.
In 2017, the Danish government declined a proposal from the People’s Republic of China to purchase an abandoned naval base on Greenland over concerns the arrangement would strain its relations with the United States
Greenland has a population of 56,000 with three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside Antarctica. Besides minerals Fishing accounts for more than 90% of Greenland’s exports. The shrimp and fish industry is by far the largest income earner
While the United States has acquired other Danish territory, namely the Danish West Indies, Greenland still remains an autonomous country of Denmark.
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