Resource Race Heats Up in Melting Arctic

By DOUG MELLGREN, Associated Press Writer, Space & Earth science / Environment

The crew of Danish warship Vedderen perform a flag raising ceremony on the uninhabitated Hans Island off northwestern Greenland, in this Aug. 13, 2002 file photo. The crew was set ashore to erect a new cairn and change the flag and the flag pole. This ritual is performed when the ice situation in the area renders such a mission possible. Midway between Canada and Greenland, both Canada and Denmark claim sovereignty over the island but both sides are down-playing media reports that the issue is raising any tensions. (AP Photo/Polfoto, Vedderen)

(AP) -- Barren and uninhabited, Hans Island is very hard to find on a map. Yet these days the Frisbee-shaped rock in the Arctic is much in demand - so much so that Canada and Denmark have both staked their claim to it with flags and warships.

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