Hans Island

Hans Island (Inuktitut and Tartupaluk, kidney shaped; Inuktitut syllabics: ᑕᕐᑐᐸᓗᒃ; Hans Ø; Île Hans) is an island in the very centre of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait in the high Arctic region, split between the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the Danish autonomous country of Greenland. The island itself is barren and uninhabited with an area of , measuring , and a maximum elevation of . Its location in the strait that separates Ellesmere Island of Canada from northern Greenland was for years a border dispute, the so-called Whisky War between the two countries of Canada and Denmark. Hans Island is the smallest of three islands in Kennedy Channel off the Washington Land coast; the others are Franklin Island and Crozier Island. The strait at this point is wide, placing the island within the territorial waters of both Canada and Denmark (Greenland). A border traverses the island. The island has likely been part of Inuit hunting grounds since the 14th century. It was claimed by both Canada and Denmark until 14 June 2022, when both countries agreed to split the disputed island roughly in half. In accordance with the Greenland home rule treaty, Denmark handles certain foreign affairs, such as border disputes, on behalf of the entire Danish Realm. The nearest populated places are Alert, Canada (, pop. 62); Siorapaluk, Greenland (, pop. 68); and Qaanaaq, Greenland (, pop. 656). As determined by field investigations and the interpretation of satellite image maps and monochrome stereoscopic air photographs, the exposed portion of Hans Island consists of of Silurian limestone. From its summit to sea level, it consists of an upper thick yellowish brown to grey megalodont bivalve and stromatoporoid limestone; a thick pale yellowish brown to pale grey marker bed; and a thick yellowish brown to brownish grey weathering, locally cliff-forming, coral, megalodont bivalve and stromatoporoid limestone. These strata are assigned to the uppermost carbonate buildup facies of the Allen Bay Formation of Canada and part of the Kap Morton Formation of Washington Land, Greenland.