Denmark to Claim North Pole
 

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark aims to claim the North Pole and hunt for oil in high Arctic regions that may become more accessible because of global warming, the Science Ministry said Monday.

It said Denmark would send an expedition to try to prove the seabed beneath the Pole was a natural continuation of Greenland, the world's biggest island and a Danish territory whose northern tip is just 450 miles from the Pole.


Science Minister Helge Sander said last week success would give Denmark access to "new resources such as oil and natural gas."


The potential return would outweigh the 150 million crowns ($25 million) that Denmark has allocated to the investigation.


The Danish bid rests on a U.N. convention allowing coastal nations to claim rights to offshore seabed resources. Countries that ratify it have 10 years to prove they have a fair claim to the offshore territory and its resources.


"First we have to make the scientific claim. After that there will be a political process with the other countries," said Science Ministry official Thorkild Meedom.


Other claimants to the area, with the Pole itself, include Russia, Canada and Norway. The United States may also make a claim.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...enmark_pole_dc

How stupid. Maybe we will make a claim on it and go to war with Demark to.

War with Denmark? Cool, maybe if we own Denmark European Vacations will get cheaper. :cool:

I don't know. Every read "The Mouse that Roared?"

If we had a war with Denmark, we would probably win and end up paying them billions of dollars to "rebuild" their country.

It might be better to lose.

Is it Denmark or Switzerland that has the military that uses bikes?

-Rudey

OK, so I understand how Denmark, Russia, and Canada can lay a claim to the NP, but how can we? It seems a little far-fetched.

Good question. Weren't we the first to send an expedition that actually arrived there? (Robert Peary?) That has been one measure of ownership in the past.

I think Santa Claus has dibs on the North Pole. What will happen if he has to pay someone taxes for all those toys he makes? Can he afford Denmark's taxes for the all the elves?

This could destroy Christmas...

Dee

Gadzooks!

What a thought! On the other hand, Santa isn't getting any younger. It may be time for him to find a winter home in Arizona or somewhere.

Arizona would be ok.. just not Florida, we don't want hurricanes wiping out the toy shops...

Can reindeer survive the Arizona heat?

Dee

Alaska maybe?

We should back Cananda. We already stole Alaska from them. I don't want anymore northern terrorities. We should expand into the caribean, and annex some of those countries, and make them states. We've been at 50 for a while now. We could use a boost.

In Denmark the age of consent is 14

Actually Alaska was Russian territory but we bought it from them before they realized Alaska had a lot of gold and oil.

Greenland
 

Isn't Greenland trying to get their independence?

A winter home? Doesn't Santa spend his post-Christmas vacation somewhere warm anyway? :)