copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-10-24): Canada claims that this rocky, uninhabited piece of rock is 100 percent Canadian. Denmark says that every grumpy inch of it is part of Greenland and that the entirety therefore belongs to the Danish Kingdom. I cannot imagine many purposes for which Hans Island, or Tartupaluk in Greenlandic, would be useful for a government at all. It is extremely remote, provides no shelter, no decent landing for any vessels, no oil or gas reserves are known to hide in its vicinity, no mineral deposits in its core, it is ice-encapsulated and dangerously windswept most of the year. Perhaps in a distant ice-free future a bit of very high-Arctic traffic might pass by, but it would still most likely have no reason to dwell here. But, of course, as a political phenomenon Hans Island is extremely provoking. It bears testimony to just how easily even the lowliest, most desolate piece of no-good territory may still excite otherwise friendly, democratic, NATO-embedded nations and make them unable to reach any semblance of an agreement even after 45 years of negotiations. Last week, Denmark’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anders Samuelsen told the media that a diplomatic task force will now seek a solution, but he did not specify why this force will have better chances than previous attempts.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): The Kingdom of Denmark consists of three parts: Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. The Arctic is an important part of the shared identity of the Kingdom, and all three parts of the Realm are committed to its prosperity and security. The Kingdom of Denmark and Canada are Neighbours in the North, and as a result of the historic Hans Island agreement signed in June 2022 between Canada, Denmark and Greenland, we are now closer than ever. Previously separated by only 26 kilometres, Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark now share a land border on Hans Island and a new maritime border of 3,962 km, which is the longest in the world. Our geography, and the historical ties between the peoples of Greenland and Nunavut underpins our close relationship that is constantly growing.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-01-10): According to World Atlas, Hans Island is located in the middle of the 22-mile wide Nares Strait, which separates Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, from Canada. Due to international law, all countries have the right to claim territory within 12 miles of their shore. As such, Hans Island is technically located in both Danish and Canadian waters. World Atlas notes that the island was decided to be Danish territory by the Permanent Court of International Justice of the League of Nations in 1933. [...] 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.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-14): The question of the ownership of Hans Island first arose in 1973 when Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark delimited the continental shelf between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. The two sides could not agree on the status of the island, which fell right on the maritime boundary line dividing the continental shelf between the two countries, so they chose to set aside the question of the island itself. The shelf surrounding the island was delimited, with the maritime boundary stopping at the low-water mark on the island’s south side and starting again from the low-water mark on the north side.4 Accordingly, and despite popular misconceptions, the dispute had no significant impact on the status of the waters, seabed resources, or navigation rights around Hans Island itself. [...] The Danish position rested primarily on the principles of discovery, geology, and usage. Hans Island was "discovered" in the second half of the 19th Century by one or several American-led expeditions undertaken in agreement with Danish authorities and with the participation of the famous Greenlandic explorer Hans Hendrik (1834-1889) of Fiskenæsset, who was also known by his Greenlandic name Suersaq.6 Previously and subsequently, Greenlandic Inuit stopped on the island when crossing to Ellesmere Island to hunt. On the other hand, Canadian Inuit have never used Hans Island regularly.7
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-05-26): Also known as Tartupaluk in Greenlandic, (in Inuktitut, ᑕᕐᑐᐸᓗᒃ), Hans Island is a 1.3km2 rock lying between Canada’s Ellesmere Island (Nunavut) and Greenland in the narrow Nares Strait, and claimed by both Canada and Denmark/Greenland as part of their sovereign territory. [...] Actions taken by Canada and Denmark to demonstrate their claims over Hans Island have been more akin to theatre as opposed to hard political pressure. This led some commentators to label the dispute a ‘whisky war’, as in 1984 a note advising that Hans Island was Danish territory was left on the rock, reportedly along with a bottle of schnapps. This was followed up by the placing of a bottle of Canadian Club whisky on the island by a Canadian expedition and the subsequent planting of Canadian and Danish flags. Although both Copenhagen and Ottawa pledged their support for a diplomatic solution, and have so far been content with an ‘agree-to-disagree’ status, arriving at a final agreement has remained difficult given the large amount of potential economic goods involved.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-02-15): Hans Island (Tartupaluk) looking toward the west with Ellesmere Island in the background. The newly established international border runs approximately from the top left to the lower right, with Denmark/Greenland on the left and Canada on the right. Photo: Toubletap [...] The dispute over Hans Island began about 50 years ago when Canada and Denmark initiated negotiations to demarcate a 1,450-nm-long continental shelf boundary between Canada and Greenland without reaching an agreement concerning the title over Hans Island which lies midway between the two States. Thus, the 1973 Delimitation Agreement deliberately left without a determined boundary the area between the geodetic points 122 and 123 where Hans Island is located. The decades following the 1973 delimitation treaty triggered a rather political pseudo-confrontation regarding sovereignty over the island,4) with Canada and Denmark provoking each other by planting flags on the island, pursuing annual military visits, and exchanging bottles of whiskey and schnapps.5) Within these political debates, the Danish side often invoked the historical Inughuit presence on the island, mainly through the Danish Minister for Greenland, a post which was laid down in 1987.6) Similar arguments have been also echoed by the Canadian side, which often attributes Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic to the historical Inuit use and occupancy of the entire Canadian archipelago.7)
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-16): Sitting in the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait between the north-western coast of the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island, the uninhabited half-mile-square Hans Island has no mineral resources nor much else of interest unless you are a visiting seabird. Shaped like a muffin and surrounded by cliffs, it was for centuries an Inuit hunting ground. Crucially, however, it has been at the centre of a long-running border dispute between Canada and Denmark – via Greenland’s home rule government – with Copenhagen claiming that geological evidence points to Hans Island being part of Greenland – a claim rejected by Ottawa. [...] Graham stated Canada had always owned the island, prompting Denmark to respond: "Hans Island is our island." Some Canadians in turn proposed a boycott of Danish pastries, in an echo of the way some Americans rejected "french fries" when France declined to join coalition forces in Iraq.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-14): Known in the local Inuit languages as Tartupaluk (and in Danish as Hans Ø), Hans Island is a small (half a square mile, or 1.3 km2), barren, and uninhabited rock at 80° North, in the frigid waters of the Kennedy Channel, halfway between Ellesmere Island and Greenland. [...] The dispute over Hans Island emerged in the early 1970s, when Canada and Denmark agreed on most of their maritime border — the first ever drawn up with the help of a computer — with the notable exception of Hans Island, bang in the middle of the Kennedy Channel, which both claimed as their own. Hans Island’s immediate value is as a hunting ground for locals. But possession of an island comes with rights to its territorial waters, as well as to the hydrocarbons and other potential riches beneath those waves — hence, the obstinacy exhibited by both the Canadian and Danish governments when it comes to the official deed to Hans Island.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-15): Under the agreement, a border will be drawn across the half-square-mile Hans Island in the waterway between the northwestern coast of the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island. The rock has no known mineral reserves of value. [...] Canada and Denmark agreed in 1973 to create a border through Nares Strait, halfway between Greenland and Canada. But they were unable to agree which country would have sovereignty over Hans Island, which lies about 680 miles south of the North Pole. In the end, they decided to work out the question of ownership later. [...] The settlement also gives indigenous access and rights of use to Hans island.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-14): Nevertheless, for some five decades, Canada and Denmark have squabbled — mostly, but not always, politely — over the not-very-exciting Hans Island, a 0.5-square-mile mass in the Kennedy Channel of the Nares Strait that’s home to neither vegetation nor wildlife. The craggy outcropping — Tartupaluk in Inuit — lies between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. [...] The dispute dates back to 1973, when Canadian and Danish diplomats were drawing up a maritime boundary in the Arctic. The line cut straight through Hans Island. The diplomats left the question of what to do about it unresolved. [...] A further escalation came in 2005, when Bill Graham, then Canada’s defense minister, choppered onto Hans Island to walk the frigid ground himself. That drew an official note of protest from Danish officials.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-15): On June 14, representatives of Canada, Denmark and Greenland gathered at 50 Sussex Drive, the Ottawa headquarters of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society to sign a treaty settling a longstanding territorial dispute over Hans Island, a small uninhabited island in the Nares Strait between Ellesmere Island and northern Greenland. The bloodless conflict became known as the "Whiskey War" because, beginning in the 1980s, Canada and Denmark took turns staking their claim to the island by planting flags and bottles of liquor — whiskey from Canada, schnapps from Denmark. [...] It’s also a symbolic rebuke of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Joly and Kofod said the peaceful resolution of the Hans Island dispute is proof that diplomacy works and that territorial disputes can be resolved through the rule of law instead of violence. [...] The dispute over Hans Island (Tartupaluk in Inuktitut and Greenlandic) began in 1973 when Canada and Denmark attempted to draw a boundary through the Nares Strait and found both countries could credibly lay claim to the island, which is roughly equidistant to both Canada and Greenland. But the question of Canada’s Arctic sovereignty has an even longer history.
Claim: Hans Island is a territory of Denmark (Hans Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-06-15): Hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, between Nunavut and Greenland, there's a tiny island that's been fought over the years. Well, to say it's been fought over is a bit of an exaggeration—and at 1.2 square kilometres, Hans Island isn't even much of an island. Nevertheless, both Canada and Denmark have staked claims to it. [...] Hans Island remained no man's land through the decades of the Cold War. In 1973, Canada and Denmark worked together to survey and agree to boundaries around the region of Hans Island, but Hans Island wasn't included in the new maps of either territory. [...] In 2015, a proposal was put forth that the two nations could share the island, under an arrangement known as a condominium. For now, the status of Hans Island is more Arctic trivia than international dispute, with an occasional toast between friendly neighbours.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-25): The Halaib Triangle is an area of land measuring 20,580 square kilometres (7,950 sq mi) located on the Northeast African coast of the Red Sea. The area, which takes its name from the town of Halaib, is created by the difference in the Egypt–Sudan border between the "political boundary" set in 1899 by the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium, which runs along the 22nd parallel north, and the "administrative boundary" set by the British in 1902,[1] which gave administrative responsibility for an area of land north of the line to Sudan, which was an Anglo-Egyptian client at the time. With the independence of Sudan in 1956, both Egypt and Sudan claimed sovereignty over the area. The area has been considered to be a part of the Sudan's Red Sea State, and was included in local elections until the late 1980s. In 1994, the Egyptian military moved to take control of the area as a part of Red Sea Governorate, and Egypt has been actively investing in it since then.[2] Egypt has been recently categorical in rejecting international arbitration or even political negotiations regarding the area.[3]
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-02): Halaib (Arabic: حلايب, romanized: Ḥalāyib [ħæˈlæːjeb]), is a Red Sea port and town, located in the Halaib Triangle, a 20,580 km2 (7,950 sq mi) area disputed between Egypt and Sudan. The town lies on the southern tip of what Egyptians refer to as the Red Sea Riviera and the north eastern corner of Sudan's Red Sea State and is near the ruins of medieval ʽAydhab. De facto control of the area is held by the Egyptian government. Name [edit]The name Halaib represents Arabic Arabic: حلايب, romanized: Ḥalāyib. The spellings Halayeb, Hala'ib, and Halayib are also found. Geography [edit]In the Halaib region, Afrotropical elements have their northern limits at Gabal Elba, making it a unique region among the regions dominating North African ecosystems. There is also dense cover of acacias, mangroves and other shrubs, in addition to endemic species of plants such as Biscutella elbensis.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-07-24): Lying adjacent to Bir Tawil is another much larger triangle of land—Hala'ib—which is also sand and rock, but it borders the Red Sea and is hence more valuable. Now both Egypt and Sudan want Hala'ib, but the way the border was created between them, each country can have either Bir Tawil or Hala'ib, but not both. Whoever claims Bir Tawil thus would have to relinquish their claim to the larger and more lucrative Hala’ib Triangle, which neither country wants to lose. [...] Problems didn’t arise until after Sudan achieved independence in 1956. The new Sudanese government declared its national borders as those stipulated in the second proclamation, making the Hala’ib triangle a part of Sudan. Egypt, on the other hand, asserted that this was meant to be a temporary administrative jurisdiction, and that sovereignty had been established in the 1899 treaty, which set the border at the 22nd parallel. This made the Hala’ib triangle Egyptian.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-22): Therefore, the Bir Tawil and Hala’ib Triangle appear to be a problem without a fast-approaching solution. The haphazard British drawing of the map left a problem that went unchecked for over fifty years while they administered both Egypt and Sudan as part of a broader African administration. New nationalist movements followed by independence brought the issue back to the fore, as leaderships of both Egypt and Sudan looked to strengthen their own rule, using attempts to seize the Triangle to rally their own populations. It appears that Egypt has slowly been gaining control of the Hala’ib Triangle, given Sudan’s recent political struggles and increased focus on separatist movements in Darfur and South Sudan. But with the population of Hala’ib tied more closely to Sudan, this is unlikely to be well received. The Bir Tawil, therefore, still remains unclaimed; the strongest claim may belong to the nomadic tribes that dwell there. If the United Nations ever reaches a settlement, it would set a substantial precedent for if a similar issue were to arise in the future. Whether it was the political (1899) or administrative (1902) boundary that was recognized could lead to further claims around the world and a re-examination of the historical legitimacy of borders. For the moment, it seems likely that a solution will appear and would require drastic action by either Egypt or Sudan to provide a definitive answer.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-11-03): In 1899, the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium Agreement set the border between the two countries at the 22nd parallel. Later on, in 1902, the UK drew a separate administrative boundary. They hoped that the new boundaries would be an accurate reflection of land based on its use by the locals in the area. The new boundary placed Bir Tawil as part of Egypt. At the time, the Ababda tribe from Egypt used the land as grazing land for their animals. On the other hand, there was another piece of land called the "Hala’ib Triangle." The area came under the control of the British governor of Sudan. At independence, Sudan claimed ownership of the Hala’ib Triangle. However, Egypt disputed the claim stating that the 1902 administrative boundary was temporary. As such, the Hala’ib Triangle belonged to Egypt, and the Bir Tawil was Sudan’s. To date, Egypt and Sudan have never resolved their boundary dispute. The two countries do not want to claim ownership of Bir Tawil. According to them, it would imply that they had relinquished ownership of the Hala’ib Triangle which is not the case for either of them.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2018-06-24): Today, both countries lay claim to the Hala'ib Triangle since it is a large territory and borders the Red Sea. The problem comes from the intersection of the two borders at the Bir Tawil Triangle (actually a trapezoid). By claiming the original 1899 border to get Hala'ib, Egypt makes no claim on Bir Tawil which lies south of this border. Sudan pursues Hala'ib by claiming the 1902 border which leaves Bir Tawil as Egyptian territory. So in their pursuit of larger gains, each country makes no claim on the secondary territory. No other country can claim it as it is landlocked between Egypt and Sudan. There was a third territory adjusted in the 1902 adjustment called the Wadi Halfa Salient. That adjustment was made to assign several villages to Sudan who were better able to manage them from the South. Although the border remains, there is no territorial interest here as the villages now lie under the waters of the (manmade) Lake Nassar.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-12-23): Hala’ib and Shalateen, or the Hala’ib Triangle, is an area of land measuring 20,580 square kilometers, located at the Egyptian-Sudanese border on the Red Sea coast. It is part of the Red Sea governorate and consists of three major towns – Hala'ib (which became a city in February 2014), Abu Ramad and Shalateen. [...] The largest tribes inhabiting the Hala'ib Triangle, including Rashaida, Alababdeh and Bashaira, who rejected the Sudanese National Election Commission's decision granting people in Hala'ib the right to participate in Sudanese general elections. The three tribes asserted during their participation in the 6th October War victory celebration in 2009 that the area is 100 percent Egyptian. [...] It should be noted that state employees who work in the Hala’ib Triangle receive a 300 percent incentive as well as free public facilities, including electricity and water. In addition, students in Hala’ib schools receive LE 5 pocket money daily from the government.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-22): Halayib Triangle, also known as Hala’ib Triangle, is named after Halaib Town, a town located within the triangular region. The region, covering approximately 20,580 square kilometers, is created by the difference in the Egypt-Sudan border location between the 1899 political boundary established by the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and the 1902 administrative boundary set by the British. The political boundary runs along the 22nd parallel north, while the administrative boundary shifts northeastwards, creating the triangular region. However, the area only resembles a triangle; it is not a perfect triangle. There are two major towns in the Halaib Triangle; Abu Ramad and Hala’ib, of which both are located on the Red Sea coast. Because of the difficult living conditions in the triangle region, caused by extreme aridity and strict security measures, there is little economic activity in the region, with most settlers being nomads. However, the region is rich in natural resources, including manganese. Sudan considers the Halaib Triangle as part of its Red Sea State, while the Egyptians govern it as part of the Red Sea Governorate. [...] In 1998, Sudan and Egypt agreed to work together to resolve the border dispute. By 2000 Sudan had withdrawn its troops from the region, and Egypt took control of the border zone. Despite it withdrawing its troops, Khartoum insisted Halayeb Triangle is a Sudanese territory. However, the Egyptian government continues to administer and develop the area, including supplying electricity to Alshalateen.
Claim: Hala'ib Triangle is a territory of Egypt (Hala'ib Triangle, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-01-24): The territorial dispute arises out of the discrepancy between the political boundary set by the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium Agreement of 1899, which runs along the 22d parallel, and the administrative boundary established by the British in 1902, which assigned the area of Halayeb Triangle, which is north of the 22d parallel, to Sudanese administration. (At the time Great Britain controlled both Egypt and Sudan.) When Sudan became independent in 1956, it defined its borders according to the 1902 boundary while Egypt adhered to the 1899 boundary. In 1958, when Sudan planned to hold elections in the area, Egypt sent in troops, but subsequently the territory was jointly controlled. Sudan's plans for oil exploration off the area's coast led to tensions in the 1990s, and oil exploration was not undertaken. In 2000 Sudan withdrew all forces area, ceding de facto control to Egypt, but Sudan continues to claim the territory.