Talk of annexation has Greenland in the news again. But due to quirks of cartography, some common maps show the territory much larger than it is.

While many Americans and Europeans say the U.S. doesn’t need to own Greenland to bolster security, the island does play a big role in naval and missile defense for North America and across the North Atlantic.

W hen you look at a map, Greenland looks pretty astonishingly big, taking up almost as much map space as the whole continent of Africa. But in truth, it's not that big; its unusual size comes down to its position on the Earth, and how we represent a 3D world on a 2D map.

On a flat map, Greenland looks like a lonely white expanse at the top of the world. On the right projections, it jumps out as the hinge between North America, Europe and the Arctic Ocean, a place where climate physics and hard power now intersect.

As global competition for rare earths intensifies, Greenland’s reserves are likely remain central to strategic discussions.

Greenland has long occupied a unique position on the world map, but in recent years it has moved from relative geopolitical obscurity to the center

Denmark does not want to sell its territory. But for a real estate mogul turned president, the world’s largest island may be irresistible.

The sparsely-populated Arctic territory is mineral-rich, and the U.S.'s Pituffik Space Base on the northwest of the island is key for detecting any long-range missiles bound for the U.S. mainland. Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly hit back at U.S. overtures toward the territory.

The president’s comments come as a group of bipartisan lawmakers are on an official visit to Denmark — with the aim to show U.S. support for the NATO ally despite the administration’s push to annex the territory.