Trump Greenland: Is Greenland part of NATO, why is Trump interested in it - where is it located, population in 2024 and who controls it now

Trump called both Greenland and the Panama Canal critical to American national security. Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security”.

Both Denmark and Panama have rejected any suggestion that they would give up territory. His remarks came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, was visiting Greenland.

Before arriving in the capital Nuuk, Trump Jr said he was going on a "personal day trip" to talk to people, and had no meetings planned with government officials. When asked about Trump Jr's visit to Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" and that only the local population could determine their future. She agreed that "Greenland is not for sale", but stressed Denmark needed close co-operation with the US, a Nato ally.

Who owns Greenland?

Greenland is currently a territory of Denmark and it has seen an increasingly popular independence movement, according to Reuters. On 3 January, Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede expressed his desire to pursue independence from Denmark.

As the island continues to be a territory of Denmark, a theoretical purchase by the Trump administration would have to be approved by the Scandinavian nation. Trump is not the first president interested in purchasing the Arctic island. The first recorded instance of an American leader wanting to buy the island was in 1867, when President Andrew Johnson bought Alaska. Following the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire, Johnson’s administration considered buying both Greenland and Iceland for $5.5 million in gold, according to the Journal of American History.

Why is Greenland not considered a country?

Greenland is not considered a country because it is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its political status means it is not listed among sovereign states when discussing the largest countries.

Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?

Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe and is home to a large American space facility. It also has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices. Trump suggested the island is crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are "all over the place".

"I'm talking about protecting the free world," he told reporters. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote on Truth Social last month as he announced his pick for ambassador, PayPal co-founder Kenneth Howery, to Denmark. In 2019, Senator Tom Cotton wrote in a New York Times op-ed that there are strategic benefits to buying Greenland, pointing to China trying to buy an old U.S. naval base on the island in 2016 and several attempts by the country to build airports there.

Where is Greenland located?

Greenland is located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada and northwest of Iceland. The territory comprises the island of Greenland - the largest island in the world - and more than a hundred other smaller islands.

According to Worldometer, the population of Greenland in 2024 was 55,840. According to the website the population currently stands at 55,793.