Where is the place and who controls it?

US President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated his intention to take control of Greenland, an Arctic territory controlled by Denmark.

Why is Trump talking about this – and why now?

Greenland, the largest island in the world, is located in the Arctic.

It is the least populated place in the world. About 56,000 people live there, most of them indigenous Inuit.

About 80% of its territory is covered by ice, which means that most people live on the southwest coast near the capital, Nuuk.

An autonomous region of Denmark, it is also home to Danish and US military bases.

The economy is mainly based on fishing. Subsidy from the Danish government makes up about a fifth of GDP.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. These may become more accessible as global warming causes some of Greenland’s ice cap to melt.

Located geographically in North America, Greenland was controlled by Denmark – about 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) – for about 300 years.

The island was ruled as a colony until the middle of the 20th century. Most of the time, she lived alone and poor.

In 1953, it was made part of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders became citizens of Denmark.

In 1979, a referendum on home rule gave Greenland control over most policies within the region, with Denmark retaining control over foreign affairs and defence.

The US has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Nazi Germany occupied Denmark during World War II, the US invaded Greenland, establishing military and radio stations throughout the area.

After the war, US forces remained in Greenland. Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, has been used by the US since then.

In 1951, a defense treaty with Denmark gave the US an important role in territorial defense, including the right to build and maintain military bases.

“If Russia were to send missiles towards the US, the shortest path for nuclear weapons would be through the North Pole and Greenland,” said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense College.

“That’s why Pituffik Space Base is so important to the defense of the US.”

China and Russia have begun to build up their military capabilities in the Arctic in recent years, according to a paper by the Arctic Institute. The paper called for the US to develop its presence in the Arctic to counter its rivals.

On Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Denmark was open to talks with the US, adding that Washington had “legitimate” interests in the region.

“We see Russia arming itself. We see China also starting to show interest,” said Rasmussen.

Trump may also be interested in mining across Greenland, Mr. Jacobsen said.

“Today, of particular interest are the rare earth minerals, which have not yet been mined but are located in the southern part of Greenland. These are very important for all kinds of technology, from mobile phones to wind turbines.”

Trump has said that controlling Greenland is important to US national and economic security.

Although the president-elect’s speech may seem unusual, it has been more than a century since a succession of American presidents tried to control Greenland.

“The US has tried several times to get the Danes out of Greenland and take it as part of the US, or at least be fully educated about security in Greenland,” said Lukas Wahden, the author of the book. 66° Northarctic safety brochure.

In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William H Seward led negotiations to buy Greenland from Denmark, but failed to reach any agreement.

In 1946, the US offered to pay $100m (equivalent to $1.2bn; £970m today) for the property, deeming it vital to national security, but the Danish government refused.

Trump also tried to buy Greenland during his first term. Both Denmark and the Greenland government rejected the 2019 proposal, saying: “Greenland is not for sale.”

Kuno Fencker, a member of the Inatsisartut, Greenlandic parliament, said on Wednesday that he did not see Trump’s comments as a threat.

Fencker, who supports Greenlandic independence, told the BBC that self-governing Greenland would prefer to cooperate with the US on defense.

But when Trump first proposed the idea of ​​buying Greenland in 2019, many local people he told the BBC they opposed this proposal.

“This is a very dangerous idea,” said Dines Mikaelsen, a tourism operator who was born and raised in Tasiilaq, east Greenland.

“He treats us like a luxury he can buy,” said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s first female prime minister.

“He’s not even talking about Greenland – he’s talking about Denmark buying Greenland.”