In a sign there may be hope for mankind, Canada and Denmark signed a treaty on June 14, 2022 settling a long-running dispute over control of Hans Island, which lies 11.2 miles between Canada and Greenland, controlled by Denmark. Over recent years, each country would occasionally send representatives to plant a flag and leave a gift representing their land, Canadian whiskey or schnapps respectively.
The island, a one square mile rock, was agreed to be divided along a north-south rift in its structure, an act perhaps a representative contrast to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There may yet be hope for mankind when descendants of Danish Vikings, now most famous for pastries, opt to settle territorial disputes peacefully. And when the apocalypse comes, we can only hope that a few Canadians, with their preternatural kindness, survive to repopulate the earth in peace.
Of course, it should be noted that if Hans Island belongs to anyone, the Inuit would have the right to claim it as their own, though they might be as likely to posit that they belong to the land, a lesson we should all consider.
