When the story surfaced that President Donald Trump is considering an offer to buy Greenland, many people thought it was a joke. It came at a time when the Edinburgh fringe festival was on and almost eclipsed a joke about a vegetable regarded as the funniest this year. A Swedish comedian, named Olaf Falafel took the title with: "I keep randomly shouting out 'Broccoli' and 'Cauliflower' – I think I might have florets". Well it turns out Trump wasn't joking, he has since then confirmed his interest; it would "essentially be a large real estate deal." So why would Trump want to buy Greenland? Definitely not for a golf course as 80% of the island is under ice. Its strategic importance; it is a critical site to trace intercontinental ballistic missiles and satellites and untapped mineral resources is more likely to be the reason. Greenland's ice is melting fast and the island is thought to be rich in diamonds, gold, rubies and oil. Trump has suggested it is costing Denmark too much and perhaps he is looking for a legacy. Like many other leaders of state; he would like to achieve something which he can be remembered for. He is not the first US President who had this idea, President Harry Truman offered to buy Greenland in 1946 for $100m. After the initial amusement of the offer, Greenland said they were not for sale, but was open for business and Denmark's Prime Minister claimed the idea of selling the world's largest island was "absurd". – Linda van Tilburg

Greenlanders baffled by Trump interest