Hans Island Hans Island Hans Island (; ; ; ) is a small, uninhabited barren knoll measuring , long and wide, in the centre of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait—the strait that separates Ellesmere Island from northern Greenland and connects Baffin Bay with the Lincoln Sea. Hans Island is the smallest of three islands in Kennedy Channel; the others are Franklin Island and Crozier Island. The strait at this point is wide, placing the island within the territorial waters of both Canada and Greenland. A theoretical line in the middle of the strait goes through the island. The island has likely
Miyako Strait ever been agreed upon. The PLA Navy used the strait on a large scale for the first time in April 2010, an act which has since become a commonplace practice for them to conduct military exercises in the Pacific. The Miyako Strait represents a cultural and linguistic split between the Southern and Northern Ryukyuan languages, with the north being more influenced by Japanese culture. The Northern Ryukyu Islands have historically been more advanced (socially, technologically, and infrastructurally) than the Southern Ryukyu Islands. Miyako Strait The , also known as the Kerama Gap, is a waterway which lies between Miyako Island