US President Donald Trump has once again expressed his interest in buying Greenland, which has 85 per cent of its land covered with snow. According to various media reports, Trump asked his advisors about the possibilities of buying Greenland from Denmark.
Trump planned his first visit to Denmark on September 2 and 3. During his a two-day visit, he will meet with Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen and attend a state dinner hosted by Queen Margrethe II.
Meanwhile, the government of Greenland in its statement said, "We have good cooperation with the USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer. Of course, Greenland is not for sale."
Trump, who has been the world's most famous real estate developer before holding the post as US President, had been curious to buy Greenland, which is a self-governing region of Denmark.
Greenland, the largest island on the earth, is an autonomous constituency of Denmark, which was a colonizer of the island before the 18th century.
With an area of 772,000 square-mile (two-million square kilometre), Greenland is the closest land to the North Pole. It is sparsely populated with almost 56,000 people and most of its population belongs to the indigenous Inuit community. Its' capital is Nuuk. The mostly ice-covered landmass, Greenland is located in the northeast of Canada.
Why is Trump interested to buy Greenland?
1. According to the media reports, the territory's natural resources and geopolitical relevance made Trump curious about Denmark's autonomous constituency. But the major factors which make Greenland more crucial for the US includes not only its resources and geography.
2. The US' northernmost military base -- Thule Air Base -- has been located on Greenland for decades, housing some advanced missiles and only limited people have the access to visit one of the most secretive air bases on the earth. The Thule Air Base also has America's premiere early warning ballistic missile surveillance base.
3. US' rival and another superpower of the world, China is also eyeing in Greenland as in 2017. The Chinese government had agreed to finance new commercial airports in the country after Greenland's Prime Minister had flown to Beijing. These Chinese investments in Greenland have become a threat to the US.
4. Apart from that, China has also bankrolled mining works worth millions of dollars in the ice-covered land. Greenland is also key to China's strategy -- the 'Polar Silk Road', which also includes countries like Russia.
5. If we talk about its resources and geography, 85 per cent of the island is covered by a 1.9-mile-thick (three-kilometre) ice sheet that contains 10 per cent of the world's freshwater.
6. Greenland is also a great source of Uranium, which is used by the military to power nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons.
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