Whisky War

The Whisky War, also known as the Liquor Wars, was an amicable border dispute between the Kingdom of Denmark and Canada over Hans Island. Between 1973 and 2022, the island was under dispute between the two nations, although never amounting to direct conflict or violence.
Both countries agreed on a process in 2005 to resolve the issue, which was finally settled in 2022, resulting in the creation of a land border on the island between the two states.
Hans Island (known as Hans Ø in Danish and Tartupaluk in Greenlandic) is in the middle of the Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island. Hans Island is approximately 1.3 km in size and is barren. Hans Island is not inhabited, though it was previously used by indigenous Inuit populations in the area during the 19th century. The Canadian claim to the island arose from the 1880 purchase of Hudson's Bay Company land to Canadian Government territory. The Danish argument was that Hans Island was vital to their indigenous populations for fishing, creating an integral part of the nearby Greenlandic area.
Canada and Denmark signed an agreement through the United Nations on 17 December 1973. The agreement set out to delimit the continental shelf between the two nations. This was influenced by the maritime boundary line, which fell almost directly down the middle of Hans Island. The agreement states:
The agreement was passed with both nations agreeing to settle the dispute over Hans island at a later date.
The dispute was seen as low-priority from the Canadian side. A Canadian Special Senate Committee on the Arctic meeting was held on March 18, 2019, where the conflict was deemed "almost insignificant" by Michael Byers, a Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, consulting as a civilian on the matter.
In 1984, Canadian soldiers visited the island and planted a Canadian flag, also leaving a bottle of Canadian whisky. The Danish Minister of Greenland Affairs came to the island himself later the same year with the Danish flag, a bottle of snaps, and a letter stating "Welcome to the Danish Island" (Velkommen til den danske ø). The two countries proceeded to take turns planting their flags on the island and exchanging alcoholic beverages. In 2005 a Canadian man and an unknown source on the Danish side also posted advertisements on Google to "promote their claims".
The minor border dispute was often considered humorous between the two nations, with diplomats displaying good humour. Despite the serious official nature of the matter, the manner in which the conflict was prosecuted was light-hearted, demonstrated by the length of time taken to settle the dispute, if nothing else. The two nations are on friendly terms, and are also founding members of NATO.
Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported on June 10, 2022, that the Canadian and Danish governments had settled on a border across the island, dividing it between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland. The resolution occurred during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and was thus meant to create a symbolic example to other nations, implying to Russia that land disputes can be resolved peacefully.
The resolution had the side effect of giving Canada and Denmark a land border with each other, meaning that both countries no longer border only one other country (the United States and Germany, respectively).
The resolution was ratified by the Folketing on December 19, 2023, thereby ending the dispute from a Danish perspective.