Greenland has come to the fore in recent days as US President Donald Trump sought to buy the world's largest island from Denmark, which rejected the US offer and subsequent statements from both sides.

Regardless of the reasons the US president sought to own the island, it has many strange paradoxes politically, historically, geographically, and climatically, which we review here.

- Greenland means "green land" and in Greenland means "land of people", but it is not actually green, where ice covers most of its area, and the population density is the lowest in the world.

Although Greenland is politically part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is geographically part of the North American continent. It is only 16 kilometers from Canada.

- The island is the largest in the world, but at the same time the lowest place in the world in terms of population density, with an area of ​​more than two million square meters, while the population does not exceed 56 thousand people.

Greenland is about 50 times larger than Denmark, but Denmark is 95 times larger than the island.

- In the fifteenth century AD all died on the island because of a mysterious, interpreted by some as a result of an attack from the Eskimo, or as a result of harsh climate very cold.

Greenland residents live on less than 16 percent of the island.

Protecting Greenland militarily was the responsibility of the United States during World War II. After the war, the Americans and the Danes agreed that defending the island would be NATO's responsibility.

In 1946 the administration of US President Harry Truman tried to buy the island from Denmark for $ 100 million, but Denmark refused.

- The United States already has a military presence in Greenland, the Thule Air Base, an Air Force facility created in 1943, and the world's largest radar station in 1961.

The island has been autonomous since 1979, has its own government and parliament, and has representatives in the Danish Parliament.

- The ice covers more than 80% of the area of ​​the island, and the thickness ranges between 1.6 kilometers to more than three kilometers, and the temperature up to 47 degrees below zero.

The Greenland ice sheet has shrunk six times faster than normal since the 1980s, and could continue to melt for decades even if humans cut carbon emissions significantly, according to a recent US study.

If Greenland ice melts completely into the ocean, scientists estimate that global sea levels will rise by about 24 feet, although only a quarter of that amount would be enough to flood most of the world's coastal cities and displace more than 650 million people.

During the summer the sun shines throughout the day while it completely disappears in winter (Getty Images)

- Although football is the national sport and the most popular in Greenland, the island is not a member of the International Football Federation, and because of climatic conditions can not prepare the stadiums for the games.

- There are no land routes in Greenland, so the only way to move between cities is by air, and although there is shipping, it is more expensive because of climatic conditions and distance between cities.

- During the summer the sun shines in Greenland 24 hours, but it completely obscures in winter.

- Al Jazeera was a member of the European Community (now the European Union), but withdrew from the Community in 1985, at the request of its inhabitants, in order to better control the economy.

- The island is rich in natural resources, such as coal, zinc, copper and iron ore, although it depends on Denmark to finance two-thirds of its budget, and depends on the economy of fish wealth through fishing, canning and export.