Greenland is back in the headlines after new US President Donald Trump expressed interest in buying or gaining control of the semi-autonomous Danish Arctic territory. Such statements have aroused widespread curiosity about what is really so interesting about Greenland? Researchers have answered this question, writes IFLScience.

In short: natural resources and geopolitical maneuvers. Greenland is covered by an ice sheet that is the second largest and second only to Antarctica. Beneath the ancient ice lies a world of colossal canyons, remains of prehistoric plants, and traces of human activity.. For example, the ruins of a US military research base are hidden in northwest Greenland..

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But that's not all. The region's complex and unique geological history also makes the region incredibly valuable in the 21st century. In essence, Greenland represents an untapped treasure trove of mineral resources that the global economy desperately needs. Back in 2023, scientists found that Greenland contains 25 of the 34 minerals that the European Commission called “critical raw materials.”. Among them:.

Researchers also discovered that Greenland contains reserves of coal, oil and gas.. However, the region has a very complex history of fossil fuel production. Since the 1970s, several American and European corporations have explored oil fields in the region, but their efforts have proven fruitless.. In 2021, Greenland took the bold step of halting further oil exploration and production projects, saying the environmental consequences were " And yet, a report from the US Geological Survey states that up to 31.4 billion barrels of oil lie beneath the East Greenland Rift Province..

However, Greenland's rich natural resources are not all that attracts attention. The region also occupies an important position for the United States in the confrontation with Russia and China, which view the Arctic as a strategic arena of power.

In fact, the catastrophic climate change affecting the Arctic is opening up new opportunities in the region, and many countries are now looking to take advantage of them.. It's no secret that a warming climate is causing the Arctic to lose ice over increasingly longer periods.. As a result, the waters, including the Northwest Passage, could be used for faster shipping routes. In simple terms, those who manage to control local waters will gain a huge advantage.

Trump's talk of buying Greenland seems unprecedented and outlandish, but he's not the first American politician to flirt with the idea.. In fact, the idea of \u200b\u200bacquiring Greenland has surfaced at various points in American history.. Despite these attempts, none of the proposals gained support for a good reason: neither Greenland nor Denmark are interested in selling.

Focus previously wrote that scientists looked under the skin of Greenland and found something they didn’t know about before.