Why does Trump want Greenland and the Panama Canal? Here is what is causing the US interest.

President-elect Donald Trump, during a lengthy news conference on Tuesday, spoke about his interest in protecting the US control of Greenland and the Panama Canaland he said he would not rule out the use of military force.

Below is a look at where these two areas are and why Trump might want the US to regulate them.

Where is Greenland and why does Trump want to control it?

Greenland is located in northeastern Canada and is largely covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet. The largest island in the world, but with a population of only about 60,000, it is a sovereign territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, with its own elected government.

Its location between the US, Russia and Europe makes it extremely strategic for both economic and defense purposes – especially as the sea ice melts opened up new shipping routes across the Arctic.

It is also the location of the northernmost US military base.

“We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said Tuesday. “I'm talking about protecting the free world. You look — you don't even need binoculars — you look outside. You've got Chinese ships everywhere. You've got Russian ships everywhere. We're not letting that happen.

Greenland also has oil, natural gas and rare minerals, some of which are used in products including military technology and electric vehicles, currently coming from Russia and China.

What is the Panama Canal and why would Trump want it?

About 40% of US container shipping currently travels through the Panama Canal, according to trade publication CargoNOW. The canal acts as a bridge between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and, beyond that, the Atlantic Ocean.

Trump said the United States needed the Panama Canal for “economic security,” falsely claiming it was “used by China.”

“The Panama Canal is important to our country. It is used by China. China! And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We did not give it to China, and they abused it. They abused that gift. It should not have been done,” said Trump.

The President of Panama Jose Raul Mulino opposed that.

“There is absolutely no Chinese interference or involvement in anything related to the Panama Canal,” he said in late December.

Panama's Foreign Minister, Javier Martínez-Acha, said on Tuesday that his government had not officially spoken to Trump or his team about the canal recently, but reiterated the president's previous comments that the canal would continue to be controlled by Panama.

“The sovereignty of our canal is non-negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and irreversible victory,” said Martínez-Acha.

History of Greenland

The Kingdom of Denmark began colonizing Greenland in the early 18th century, centuries after Vikings from the same distant land first arrived to settle. It wasn't until World War II that the US began to have a presence on the island, when the Danish Ambassador at the time to the US, Henrik Kauffmann, refused to surrender to Danish occupation by the Nazis.

Denmark was liberated from the Nazi invasion in 1945, but the US did not leave its military base, the Pituffik Space Base, to this day it remains the northernmost point of the American military.

History of the Panama Canal

I The Panama Canal it was built by the US between 1904 and 1914. It acts as a bridge between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean, significantly shortening shipping routes from Asia to eastern US ports.

It began to be managed by the US government for decades, which created tensions with Panama.

In the 1970s, the US and Panama signed an agreement agreeing to the permanent neutrality of the canal. The US committed to ceasing control of the canal and did so in full in 1999. The canal is now operated by the Panama Canal Authority.