The earliest claim to Hans Island is by Denmark. A map appearing in Meddelelser om Grønland is the first geological map to show Hans Ø. It was compiled in 1922 and published in 1931. Danish geologist have also found evidence that the island is more geologically similar to Greenland than to Ellesmere Island. (Dawes and Tukiainen 78-79). Denmark also claims Hans Island based on a ruling made in 1933 by the Permanent Court of International Justice decided in favor of Denmark over the legal status of Greenland (Byers 24; Kristiansen 35; Stevenson 265). In his book “Who Owns the Artic?” Michael Byers claims the only real entitlement that Denmark has over Hans Island is the use of the island by the Greenland Inuit. However, it is also known that
