Who Owns Greenland
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Greenland is a large island located in the northern Atlantic Ocean between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and north of Canada. It is an autonomous Danish territory and the world’s largest island. Greenland covers an area of 2,167,086 square kilometres and is home to a population of 56,487 residents.
The question of who owns Greenland has been a contested subject since the early 1600s. At the beginning of the 1600s, with the settlement of the first Europeans, Denmark and Norway had a claim over Greenland, based on colonization and Cartagena. Then, in 1814, Norway was ceded to Sweden, so the Kingdom of Denmark had exclusive authority over Greenland.
Today, despite a 1953 law making the island an internal part of the Kingdom of Denmark, the autonomous government proclaims itself to be the independent nation of Greenland. This means that while the majority of the population is Danish, they are considered to be Greenlanders and their government is responsible for the internal affairs of Greenland. All external affairs, such as foreign policy, defense and trade, remain under the control of the Danish monarchy. Despite this, in 2018 Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen called for a referendum in which the population would be given a chance to decide if they wished for Greenland to become independent or remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The referendum has yet to take place, but in the meantime, the residents of Greenland are self-governing, with the Danish government providing financial and policy support. The people of Greenland have the right to participate in Danish parliamentary elections but cannot vote for the Danish Prime Minister; instead, they elect representatives to the Danish Parliament. Greenland also has its own government and Prime Minister, though only the Danish monarch has the right to ratify laws in the area.
In conclusion, while Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is self-governing and the people of Greenland enjoy a high degree of autonomy. The people of Greenland are presently debating their status, with a referendum on independence set to take place in the near future. However, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, Denmark will remain the overarching authority in Greenland.