Where is the territory and who controls it?

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

Why is Trump talking about this – and why now?

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

It is the least populated area in the world. About 56,000 people live there, mostly the Inuit people.

About 80% of its territory is covered with ice, meaning most people live on the southwest coast around the capital Nuuk.

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

The economy depends mainly on fishing. Subsidies from the Danish government account for one-fifth of GDP.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including the mining of rare earth minerals, uranium and iron. This can be easily achieved as global warming causes the Greenland ice sheet to melt.

Located in North America, Greenland has been under Danish rule – about 3,000km (1,860 miles) – for almost 300 years.

The island was ruled as a colony until the mid-2000s. For a long time, it was isolated and poor.

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

In 1979, a referendum on home rule gave Greenland majority control over the territory, while Denmark retained control over foreign affairs and defence.

The United States has long maintained a security interest in Greenland. After Germany occupied Denmark during World War II, the United States occupied Greenland, setting up military and radio stations throughout the region.

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

In 1951, a defense treaty with Denmark gave the US a greater role in the defense of the territory, including the right to build and maintain military equipment.

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

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

China and Russia have begun to increase their military capabilities in the Arctic in recent years, according to a paper by the Arctic Institute. The paper called on the US to increase its presence in the Arctic to counter its competitors.

On Wednesday, Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said that Denmark is ready to negotiate with the US, adding that Washington has “legitimate” interests in the region.

“We see a Russia that is arming itself. We see a China that is starting to get interested,” Rasmussen said.

Mr Trump may also be interested in the possibility of mining in the vast Greenland region, Mr Jacobsen added.

“Today, the special interest is rare earth minerals, which are still in the south of Greenland. These are very important for all kinds of technologies, from mobile phones to wind turbines.”

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

Although the words of the president-elect may seem strange, for more than a hundred years successive presidents of the United States have tried to control Greenland.

“The US has tried several times to push the Danes out of Greenland and take it as part of the US, or to have full protection in Greenland,” said Lukas Wahden, the author of the book. 66 ° northnewsletter on Arctic security.

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 $100m (equivalent to $1.2bn; £970m today) to the region, deeming it of national security importance, but the Danish government refused.

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

Kuno Fencker, a member of Inatsisartut, the 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 an independent Greenland would choose to cooperate with the US on security.

But when Trump raised the idea of ​​buying Greenland in 2019, many people there he told the BBC rejected the idea.

“It’s a scary idea,” said Dines Mikaelsen, a tour operator who was born and raised in Tasiilaq, east Greenland.

“They see us as the best they can buy,” said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s first female minister.

“They are no longer talking to Greenland – they are talking to Denmark about buying Greenland.”