I don't think the Danish ambassador to the US said 'schnapps', he clearly meant 'snaps', which is somewhat different (and far more akin to Danish traditions). But I see this misquote often when reading about this story.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snaps (In Danish, 'snaps' can really only be an Akvavit, unlike Schnapps, which is any strong alcoholic drink.)

I say we split the island down the middle. We already have the longest undefended border in the world with the US. We could also have the shortest undefended border with Denmark!

Ok then.

The whole story reinforces my belief that all evil in this world comes from people taking themselves too seriously.

Amen.

I've always been fascinated by Hans Island, because to me the solution of splitting the island down the middle has more in PR value than either side winning the dispute in tangible value.

Canada and Denmark both have only one land border (Canada with the U.S., and Denmark with Germany). How cool would it be to be able to say we each share a border with a country in another continent?

I started reading this thinking, why does everything have to be owned? This borders on the absurd. And then I thought, hey, someone should put in a helipad and start live streaming Thursday Night Monkey Knife Fights!

So yeah, now I kinda get it.

Hans island did shots first.

It's a fun way to deal with a minor border dispute, not a "fight".

Out of morbid curiosity, if you mix whiskey and schnapps, do you get anything of interest other than a nauseating headache?

They should just have a war over it, and fight each other on the island with paintball guns to see who gets it.

It's about the northern passage.

If Denmark owns that island, they have more territorial waters controlling another part of the soon year-round-open-forever passage for ships from Asia to Europe that bypasses the Panama canal. Everyone wants a piece of that.

Nah... the passage goes through the Baffin Bay and then south of Greenland. Hans Island isn't even on the shortest route from Asia to Murmansk, far less any major Europoean ports.

If they would also provide snacks, I could setup a tent there and live on the spoils of "dispute".

Hans Island is of no value to anybody. But neither country wants to back down, fearing it might set a nasty precedent.

Personally, I think we may as well have a bit of fun, and settle the matter with a boxing match, Canadian national champion against Danish.

Should be a fun evening.

Can we please have some loon move to the island and claim sovereignty and when ever the Danes or the Canucks try to evict him he'll file for asylum at the other side.

"Currently, a plan is in the works that could turn Hans Island into a shared territory that would be jointly managed by the Canadian and Danish municipalities bordering it."

Let's get a public hearing on how we should jointly manage it. And get a board of directors, paying them each no less than 150k/year to negotiate. And...

This is an interesting data point for my casual "research" of the HN demographic and comment culture. My guess is you were down modded for making fun of bureaucrats, which might hit too close home for west-coasters.

If only China and the rest of the South-east Asian countries could solve their tiny-island disputes the same way. Think: Thailand throws water: Songkhran! China throws baijiu: alcoholism! The Philipphines... I don't know enough about the Philippines to know what they would throw.

Suka! (vinegar, amazingly varied and delicious vinegar)

And then some genius will decide to bring Opium into the game. : (

just blow it to pieces to everyone's relief.

This anecdote has unfortunately been on the front page of reddit and all over the internet for years.