Where is this tiny, uninhabited island and why has it caused 50 years of international dispute?

A barren and uninhabited rock off the north-western coast of Greenland, Hans Island is not much to look at.

Yet for 49 years, both Denmark and Canada have claimed ownership over the 1.3 square kilometre lump.

For decades, politicians from each country have periodically visited the wind-battered island, planting a flag - and burying a bottle of national spirits - to mark their territory.

On Tuesday, the two countries agreed to divide the tiny island between them. It’s unclear who gets to keep the half-dozen bottles of Danish schnapps and Canadian brandy that visitors left behind.

In 1973, Canada and Denmark agreed to create a border through Nares Strait, halfway between the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island.

But they were unable to agree which country would have sovereignty over Hans Island, a wind-battered rock about 1,100 kilometers south of the North Pole. 

Nearly half a century after the original agreement was deferred, the two countries have finally settled the question of ownership.

Under a new agreement - announced on Tuesday - the tiny Island will be divided down the middle.

“It sends a clear signal that it is possible to resolve border disputes ... in a pragmatic and peaceful way, where the all parties become winners,” said Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. 

He described the deal as “an important signal now that there is much war and unrest in the world.”

The agreement enters into force after the two countries’ internal procedures have been completed. In Denmark, the Parliament must first give its consent to the agreement.

“It’s a win for Canada. It’s a win for Denmark,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said, alluding to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of