For some, Greenland might have only entered their consciousness when US President Trump offered to buy it. But there’s much more to the story, even beyond its history with the United States. 

In today’s episode, Liz Buchanan gives Stop the World listeners a useful crash course on Greenland, from the mysterious disappearance of the Vikings in the 1400s, to Greenland’s pivotal role in World War II and the Cold War, and its continued – and increasing – strategic importance today.

Liz covers everything from Arctic shipping routes and how they impact Australia despite our geographical distance, Greenland’s ideal positioning for prospective polar space launches, to the Cold War's “Project Iceworm”, a US-built underground ice city complete with a barber shop and bowling alley.

As Liz explains, Greenland is far from an Arctic afterthought, and if you’ve only ever considered it as a desolate blob on top of the Mercator map, this episode will be sure to change that.

Images used in this episode are credited to So You Want to Own Greenland? Lessons from the Vikings to Trump by Elizabeth Buchanan.

Find Elizabeth’s book here https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/so-you-want-to-own-greenland/.