From the Labrador Sea to the Lincoln Sea: territorial and boundary disputes between Canada and Denmark (1970-2020s)

Abstract

In the 1970s two territorial disputes arose between Canada and Denmark in the Arctic: about the ownership of Hans Island and about the boundary in the Lincoln Sea. In 2005 the two countries agreed to avoid provocative actions in negotiations over Hans Island. In 2012 Canada and Denmark reached a tentative agreement on the boundary in the Lincoln Sea, which was formed on an equidistance principle. In 2022 the two countries agreed to divide Hans Island and also resolved the issue that arose in the 2010s over the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Labrador Sea. An important role in the successful resolution of these disputes was played by the Canadian-Danish Task Force on boundary issues.