Greenland

What Is Greenland?

Answer: Greenland is the world’s largest island, a scale that has drawn attention from countries such as the United States, Russia and China.

Greenland is divided into five municipalities, with most of its roughly 56,000 residents living in small coastal towns. It is also a popular cruise destination known for its picturesque Greenlandic communities.

Roughly 80% of the island is covered by an ice sheet formed about 3 million years ago, leaving vast areas of the territory uninhabitable.

Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, though its official language is Greenlandic.

The official religion of Greenland is Evangelical Lutheranism.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen serves as the prime minister of Greenland and was sworn into office in March 2025. Nielsen replaced Múte Bourup Egede, who served as prime minister from 2021 to 2025. At 34 years old Nielsen became the youngest person ever appointed to the role.

What Is Greenland’s History?

Answer: Sailing from Iceland, Norse explorers followed in the footsteps of Erik the Red, who settled the area in 982. After being exiled from Iceland, Erik made his home there and named it Greenland.

The name was chosen largely for promotional purposes. Erik hoped to attract more settlers from Iceland and advertised the island as a green land. Some experts believe Greenland may have been warmer at the time, though beginning in the 15th century it entered a period known as the Little Ice Age.

What Minerals and Natural Resources Does Greenland Have?

Answer: Greenland’s changing landscape has drawn attention to its deposits of rare earth elements and other critical minerals essential to modern technology, renewable energy and military systems.

A group of 17 rare earth elements sits at the center of modern economies and militaries. These elements allow electronics to be smaller, more powerful and more efficient and are especially important in high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, generators and precision guidance systems.

Their importance is even more pronounced in defense, where rare earths are used in missile guidance, radar, sonar, satellites and advanced aircraft. Many of these applications have no easy substitutes. Access to rare earths directly affects military readiness and technological advantage.

The world’s largest rare earth deposits are found in China, Vietnam, Brazil, Russia, Australia, Greenland and the United States. China dominates the supply chain, accounting for roughly 60 percent of global mining and more than 90% of processing capacity.

Sealing, whaling, hunting and fishing are among the main sources of income in Greenland.

Does the United States Have Military Bases in Greenland?

Answer: The United States has maintained a military outpost in northwestern Greenland since 1953 at Pituffik Space Base, now operated by the U.S. Space Force. The base holds a substantial portion of the global missile warning and space surveillance sensor network.

Russia also maintains several military installations in the region, while China has sought greater access since declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018.

The GIUK Gap to the east of Greenland serves as a major access point for Russian operations in the Atlantic Ocean.

Did the United States Ever Own Greenland?

Answer: No, the United States has never owned Greenland.

After World War II, then-President Harry Truman sought to purchase Greenland to limit Soviet influence in the Arctic. During the Cold War, the Arctic represented the most direct route for a strategic nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union using long-range bombers and ballistic missiles.

Donald Trump later expressed interest in purchasing Greenland, citing its importance to U.S. security and access to resources.

Why Does Trump Want Greenland?

Answer: Trump first discussed buying Greenland in 2019, pointing to its vast rare earth mineral reserves that are essential for electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, the defense industry and the clean energy economy.

A semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, Greenland is home to a key U.S. military base and has become increasingly important to global security and trade as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and access to natural resources.

What Is Trump’s Greenland Deal Framework?

Answer: Following President Donald Trump’s meeting with world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he introduced a proposed framework for a future deal involving Greenland.

Most details have not been publicly released, though discussions reportedly included the Golden Dome missile defense system. A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark grants the U.S. the right to establish military bases in Greenland and move freely within the area.

Trump also withdrew his proposal to impose tariffs on eight European nations.