Why does the United States want control of Greenland ? President Trump has made it clear that he thinks the U.S. needs to control the island to ensure the security of America and its NATO allies, a point those allies — and Greenland — vehemently disagree with. But there's more at play here, including a valuable shipping route and access to mineral resources. Here's what interests the U.S. about the semi-autonomous Danish territory: "It's so strategic right now"  Greenland spans about 836,000