Denmark

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Kongeriget Danmark Kingdom of Denmark
Flag Coat of arms
Motto none (Royal motto: Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke "The Help of God, the Love of the People, the Strength of Denmark")
Anthem Der er et yndigt land (national) Kong Christian (royal and national)
Location of  Denmark  (orange) – on the European continent  (camel & white) – in the European Union  (camel)                  [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Copenhagen 55°43′N, 12°34′E
Official languages		Danish1
Government		Constitutional monarchy
-	Monarch	Margrethe II
-	Prime Minister	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Consolidation		(prehistoric)
Accession to the European Union		1 January 1973
Area
-	Total	43,094 km² (134th2) 16,6392 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.62
Population
-	2007 estimate	5,447,084 (109th)
-	Density	128.48 /km² (78th2) 332.78 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$198.5 billion (45th)
-	Per capita	$37,000 (6th)
GDP (nominal)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$256.3 billion (27th)
-	Per capita	$46,600 (6th)
Gini? (1997)		24.7 (low) (1st)
HDI (2004)		0.943 (high) (15th)
Currency		Danish krone (DKK)
Time zone		CET2 (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST2 (UTC+2)
Internet TLD		.dk2
Calling code		+453
1 Co-official with Greenlandic in Greenland, and Faroese in the Faroe Islands. German is recognised as a protected minority language in the South Jutland area of Denmark. Danish is recognized as a protected minority language in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany. 2 For Denmark excluding the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The TLD .eu is shared with other European Union countries. 3 The Faroe Islands use +298 and Greenland uses +299.

Denmark, officially the Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark (help·info), IPA: [ˈd̥æ(n)mɑɡ̊], (archaic:) IPA: [ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊], literally meaning "the boundary of Danes") is the smallest and southernmost of the five Nordic countries if its offshore territories are excluded, and the largest if they are included. Denmark is one of the three Scandinavian countries. The mainland is located north of its only land neighbour, Germany, southwest of Sweden, and south of Norway. Denmark also encompasses two off-shore territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, granted home rule in 1979 and 1948 respectively. The national capital is Copenhagen.

Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland, which borders northern Germany, plus a large number of islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Vendsyssel-Thy, Lolland and Bornholm as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago. Denmark has historically controlled the approach to the Baltic Sea, and these waters are also known as the Danish straits.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and has been a member of the European Union since joining the European Economic Community in 1973. The Faroe Islands and Greenland remain outside the EU customs zone.

Originally relying on farming, fishing and seafaring and without major natural resources, Denmark experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and early 20th century. These trends enabled the establishment of a Scandinavian Model "welfare state" of public services, starting with the 1933 social reforms known as the Kanslergade Agreement. Denmark was occupied by Germany during World War II and, ending a tradition of political neutrality in 1949, became one of the founding members of NATO.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Prehistoric Denmark 1.2 Pre Christian Denmark 1.3 Medieval Denmark 1.4 Recent history 2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Regions and municipalities 5 Economy 6 Transport 7 Demographics 8 Education 9 Culture 9.1 Danish Food 10 Military 11 See also 12 Footnotes 13 References 14 External links

[edit] History

Main article: History of Denmark

[edit] Prehistoric Denmark

The earliest archaeological findings in Denmark date back to 130,000–110,000 BC in the Eem interglacial period.^[1] People have inhabited Denmark since about 12,500 BC, and agriculture has been in evidence since around 3,900 BC.^[2] The Nordic Bronze Age (1,800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings, including lurs and the Sun Chariot.

During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating south. The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of northwest Europe, and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron.^[2] The first Danish people came to Denmark between the Pre-Roman and Germanic Iron Age,^[3] in the Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400).

Before the arrival of precursors to the Danes, who came from Scandinavia and spoke an early form of north Germanic, most of Jutland and some islands were settled by Jutes. They later migrated to Britain, together with Angles and Saxons to form the Anglo-Saxons.

The exact origin of Denmark has been lost in history, but a short note^[4] about the Dani in "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths" from 551 AD by historian Jordanes is believed by some to be an early mention of the Daner,^[5] one of the ethnos from which are descended the modern Danish people. The Danevirke defence structures were built in several phases from the 3rd century forth,^[6] and the sheer size of the construction efforts in 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king.^[6] The new runic alphabet was first used at the same time, and Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about 700.

[edit] Pre Christian Denmark

Main article: Viking age

From the 8th to the 10th century, the Danes were known as Vikings. Together with Norwegians and Swedes, they colonized, raided and traded in all parts of Europe. Viking explorers first discovered Iceland by accident in the 9th century, on the way towards the Faroe Islands and eventually came across "Vinland" (Land of Grass/Land of Wine) also known today as Newfoundland, in Canada. The Danish Vikings were most active in the British Isles and Western Europe. They temporarily conquered and settled parts of England (known as the Danelaw), Ireland, France and founded Normandy. More Anglo-Saxon pence of this period have been found in Denmark than in England. As attested by the Jelling stones, the Danes were united and Christianised about 965 by Harald Bluetooth. It is believed that Denmark became Christian for political reasons so as not to get invaded by the Holy Roman Empire, which was also an important trading area for the Danes. In that case Harald built six fortresses around Denmark called Trelleborg and built a further Danevirke. In the early 11th century Canute the Great won and united Denmark, England and Norway for almost 30 years.^[7]

[edit] Medieval Denmark

Throughout the High and Late Middle Ages, Denmark also included Skåneland (Skåne, Halland and Blekinge) and Danish kings ruled Danish Estonia, as well as the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Most of the latter two now form part of northern Germany. In 1397, Denmark entered the Kalmar Union with Norway and Sweden. The union was a personal union with the individual states maintaining their nominal independence. Scandinavia remained unified under this arrangement until Sweden broke away in 1523. The Protestant Reformation came to Scandinavia in the 1530s, and following the Count's Feud civil war, Denmark converted to Lutheranism in 1536. Later that year, Denmark entered into a union with Norway as the Norwegian royal bloodline was extinct with the plague that ravaged Scandinavia.

[edit] Recent history

Two centuries of wars with Sweden followed. King Christian IV attacked Sweden in the 1611–13 Kalmar War but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing Sweden to return to the union with Denmark. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the Älvsborg ransom.^[8] Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably Glückstadt (founded as a rival to Hamburg), Christiania (following a fire destroying the original city), Christianshavn, Christianstad, and Christiansand. Christian also constructed a number of buildings, most notably Børsen, Rundetårn, Nyboder, Rosenborg, a silver mine and a copper mill. Inspired by the Dutch East India Company, he founded a similar Danish company. Christian had planned to claim Sri Lanka as a colony but the company only managed to acquire Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. In the Thirty Year's War, Christian tried to become the leader of the Lutheran states in Germany, but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lutter resulting in a Catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein occupying and pillaging Jutland. Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was rising and the power of Denmark falling. In 1643, Swedish armies invaded Jutland and in 1644 Skåne. In the 1645 Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway. In 1657, king Frederick III declared war on Sweden and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat and the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered both Jutland, Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658 which gave Sweden control of Skåne, Blekinge, Trøndelag and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having destroyed Denmark completely and in August 1658 he began a two-year long siege of Copenhagen but failed to take the capital. In the following peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm.

Denmark tried to regain control of Skåne in the Scanian War (1675-79) but this attempt was a failure. Following the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark managed to restore control of the parts of Schleswig and Holstein ruled by the house of Holstein-Gottorp in 1721 and 1773, respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark originally tried to pursue a policy of neutrality to continue the lucrative trade with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden and Prussia. The British considered this a hostile act and attacked Copenhagen in both 1801 and 1807, in one case carrying off the Danish fleet, in the other, burning large parts of the Danish capital. These events mark the end of the prosperous Florissant Age and resulted in the Dano-British Gunboat War. British control over the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813, Denmark-Norway went bankrupt. The post-Napoleonic Congress of Vienna demanded the dissolution of the Dano-Norwegian union, and this was confirmed by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. Denmark-Norway had briefly hoped to restore the Scandinavian union in 1809, but these hopes were dashed when the estates of Sweden rejected a proposal to let Frederick VI of Denmark succeed the deposed Gustav IV Adolf and instead gave the crown to Charles XIII. Norway entered a new union with Sweden which lasted until 1905. Denmark kept the colonies of Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland. Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark ruled over Danish India (Tranquebar in India) from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies (the U.S. Virgin Islands) from 1671 to 1917.

The Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European Revolutions of 1848 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849.

After the Second War of Schleswig (Danish: Slesvig) in 1864, Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia, in a defeat that left deep marks on the Danish national identity. After these events, Denmark returned to its traditional policy of neutrality, also keeping Denmark neutral in World War I. Following the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the then-German region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German irredentism, Denmark refused to consider the return of the area and insisted on a plebiscite concerning the return of Schleswig. The two Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March, respectively. On 10 July 1920, after the plebiscite and the King's signature (9 July) on the reunion document, Northern Schleswig (Sønderjylland) was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding 163,600 inhabitants and 3,984 km². The reunion day (Genforeningsdag) is celebrated every year 15 June on Valdemarsdag.

Germany's invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940 — codenamed Operation Weserübung — met only two hours of military resistance before the Danish government surrendered, and Economic cooperation between Germany and Denmark continued until Germany's defeat. During the war, Iceland severed ties to Denmark and became an independent republic, and in 1948 the Faroe Islands gained home rule. After the war, Denmark became one of the founding members of the United Nations and NATO and, in 1973, along with Britain, joined the European Economic Community (later, the European Union). Greenland gained home rule in 1979.

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of Denmark

The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. As stipulated in the Danish Constitution, the monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and his or her person is sacrosanct. The monarch appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and other ministers. Before being validated through royal assent, all bills and important government measures must be discussed in the Statsrådet, a privy council headed by the monarch. The Danish privy council's protocols are secret.

While executive authority belongs to the monarch (as head of state), legislative authority is vested in the monarch and the Danish parliament conjointly. Judicial authority lies with the courts of justice.

Executive authority is exercised on behalf of the monarch by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the prime minister, and other ministers collectively make up the government. These ministers are responsible to Parliament, the legislative body, which is traditionally considered to be supreme (that is, able to legislate on any matter and not bound by decisions of its predecessors).

The Folketing is the national legislature. It has the ultimate legislative authority according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, however questions over sovereignty have been brought forward because of Denmark’s entry into the European Union. In theory however, the doctrine prevails. Parliament consists of 179 members elected by proportional majority. Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the prime minister to call one sooner. On a vote of no confidence the parliament may force the entire government to resign.

The Danish political system has traditionally generated coalitions. Most Danish post-war governments have been minority coalitions ruling with parliamentary support.

Since November 2001, the Danish Prime Minister has been Anders Fogh Rasmussen from the Venstre party, a center-right liberal party. Apart from a 10-year period defined by economic reform and foreign policy changes during the 1980s, the Social Democrats have led most post-war Danish governments.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Denmark

Denmark's northernmost point is Skagens point (the north beach of the Skaw) at 57° 45' 7" northern latitude, the southernmost is Gedser point (the southern tip of Falster) at 54° 33' 35" northern latitude, the westernmost point is Blåvandshuk at 8° 4' 22" eastern longitude, and the easternmost point is Østerskær at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the archipelago Ertholmene 18 kilometres northeast of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is 452 km (over 280 mi), from north to south 368 km (228 mi).

Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) and 443 named islands.^[9] Of these, 76 are inhabited, with the largest being Zealand (Sjælland) and Funen (Fyn). The island of Bornholm is located somewhat east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges; the Øresund Bridge connects Zealand with Sweden, the Great Belt Bridge connects Funen with Zealand, and the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft connect to the smaller islands. Main cities are the capital Copenhagen (on Zealand), Århus, Aalborg and Esbjerg (on Jutland) and Odense (on Funen).

The country is flat with little elevation; having an average height above sea level of only 31 metres (101 feet) and the highest natural point is Møllehøj, at 170.86 metres (560.6 ft). Other hills in the same area southwest of Århus are Yding Skovhøj at 170.77 metres (560.3 ft) and Ejer Bavnehøj at 170.35 metres (558.9 ft).^[10] The area of inland water is: (eastern Denmark) 210 km² (81 sq mi); (western D.) 490 km² (189 sq mi).

Denmark is split into 443 named islands which results in a long coastline, 7,314 kilometres (4,544 mi).^[11] A perfect circle enclosing the same area as Denmark would have a circumference of only 742 kilometres (461 mi). Another feature that shows the close connection between the land and ocean is that no location in Denmark is farther from the coast than 52 kilometres (32.3 mi). The size of the land area of Denmark cannot be stated exactly since the ocean constantly erodes and adds material to the coastline, and because of human land reclamation projects (to counter erosion). On the southwest coast of Jutland, the tide is between 1 and 2 metres (3 to 6.5 feet), and the tideline moves outward and inward on a 10 kilometres (6 mi) stretch.^[12]

The climate is in the temperate zone. The winters are not particularly cold with mean temperatures in January and February of 0.0 °C and the summers are cool with mean temperature in August 15.7 °C.^[13] There is a lot of wind, which is stronger during the winter and weaker during the summer. Denmark has an average of 170 rainy days. The greatest rainfall comes in September, October and November.^[14]

Because of Denmark's northern location, the length of the day with sunlight varies greatly. There are short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 8 a.m. and sunset 3:30 p.m., as well as long summer days with sunrise at 3:30 a.m. and sunset at 10 p.m.^[15] The shortest and longest days of the year have traditionally been celebrated. The celebration for the shortest day corresponds roughly with Christmas (Danish: jul) and modern celebrations concentrate on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The Norse word jól is a plural, indicating that pre-Christian society celebrated a season with multiple feasts.^[16] Christianity introduced the celebration of Christmas, resulting in the use of the Norse name also for the Christian celebration. Efforts by the Catholic Church to replace this name with kristmesse were unsuccessful. The celebration for the longest day is Midsummer Day, which is known in Denmark as sankthansaften (St. John's evening).^[17] Celebrations of Midsummer have taken place since pre-Christian times.^[18]

[edit] Regions and municipalities

Main articles: Regions of Denmark and Municipalities of Denmark

For the administrative divisions used until 2006, see Counties of Denmark.

Denmark is divided into five regions (Danish: regioner, singular: region) and a total of 98 municipalities. The regions were created on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform to replace the country's traditional thirteen counties (amter). At the same time, smaller municipalities (kommuner) were merged into larger units, cutting the number of municipalities from 270 to 98. The most important area of responsibility for the new regions is the national health service. Unlike the former counties, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes, and the health service is primarily financed by a national 8% (sundhedsbidrag) tax combined with funds from both government and municipalities. Each Regional Council consists of 41 elected politicians elected as part of the 2005 Danish municipal elections.

Most of the new municipalities have a population of least 20,000 people, although a few exceptions were made to this rule.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also parts of the Kingdom of Denmark, but have autonomous status and are largely self-governing, and are each represented by two seats in the parliament.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Denmark

Denmark's market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has a comfortable balance of payments surplus and zero net foreign debt. Also of importance is the sea territory of more than 105,000 km² (40,000+ sq mi).

The Danish economy is highly unionised; 75% of its labour force are members of a trade union.^[19] Most trade unions take part in the organized umbrella system of trade unions, the biggest umbrella organization being the so-called LO, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions. However, increasing numbers in the labour force choose not to become members of a trade union or to become members of one of the trade unions outside the organized system (often referred to as the yellow, in Danish gule, trade unions).

Relationships between unions and employers are cooperative: unions have a day-to-day role in managing the workplace, and their representatives sit on most companies' board of directors. Rules on work schedules and pay are negotiated between unions and employers, with minimal government involvement. The unemployment rate April 2007 was 3.7%, for a total of 102,100 persons. The number of unemployed is forecast at 65,000 in 2015. The number of people in the working age group, less disability pensioners etc., will grow by 10,000 to 2,860,000, and jobs by 70,000 to 2,790,000.^[20] Parttime jobs included.^[21] Because of the present high demand for but lacking supply of skilled labour, especially regarding factory, transport, building and construction jobs, in addition to hospital nurses and physicians, the annual average working hours have risen, especially compared with the economic downturn 1987 – 1993.^[22]

Denmark's national currency, the krone (plural: kroner), is de facto linked to the Euro through ERMII.^[23] Currently (March 2007) exchanges with American dollars at a rate of about USD 0.18 per krone (about 5.60 kroner per dollar).

The government has met the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a September 2000 referendum, rejected Monetary Union.

In the area of sickness and unemployment, the right to benefit is, always dependent on former employment and at times also on membership of an unemployment fund, which is almost always -but need not be- administered by a trade union, and the payment of contributions; however the largest share of the financial burden is still carried by the central government and financed from general taxation, not in the main from earmarked contributions.

The Danish welfare model is accompanied by a taxation system which is both broad based (25% VAT and excise) and with high income tax rates (minimum tax rate for adults is 38%).

Denmark is home to many well known multi-national companies, among them: A.P. Moller-Maersk Group (Maersk - international shipping), Lego (children's toys), Bang & Olufsen (hi-fi equipment), and the pharmaceutical companies Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk.

[edit] Transport

Main article: Transport in Denmark

Enormous investment has been made in recent decades in building road and rail links between Copenhagen and Malmö, Sweden (the Øresund Bridge), and between Zealand and Funen (the Great Belt Fixed Link).

The main railway operator is Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways) for passenger services and Railion for freight trains. The railway tracks are maintained by Banedanmark. Copenhagen has a small Metro system and an extensive S-tog electrified suburban railway network.

Denmark's national airline (together with Norway and Sweden) is Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Copenhagen Airport is the country's largest airport, and also the biggest hub in Scandinavia.

A ferry link to the Faroe Islands is maintained by Smyril Line. Other international ferry services are mainly operated by DFDS (to Norway and the UK) and Scandlines (to Germany and Sweden).

[edit] Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Denmark

The majority of the population is of Scandinavian descent, with small groups of Inuit from Greenland, Faroese, and immigrants. According to official statistics in 2005, 461,614 immigrants and their descendants made up 8.5% of the total population — a large number of whom come from South Asia, and The Middle East.^[24] During recent years, anti-immigration sentiment has surfaced in Denmark as is the case also in many other parts of Europe.^[25]

Danish is spoken throughout the country, although a small group near the German border also speak German. English is the most widely spoken foreign language.

According to official statistics from January 2006, 83.0% of Danes are members of the Lutheran state church, the Danish People's Church (Den Danske Folkekirke), also known as the Church of Denmark. 4% of the Danish population adhere to Islam, and other religions in Denmark, include non-Lutheran Christian denominations.

As in most countries, the population is not distributed evenly. Although the land area east of the Great Belt only makes up 9,622 km² (3,715 sq mi), 22.7% of Denmark's land area, it has 45% (2,445,168) of the population. The average population density of this area is 254 inhabitants per km² (658 per sq mi). The average density in the west of the country (32,772 km²/12,653 sq mi) is 91/km² (236 per sq mi) (2006).

The median age is 39.8 years with 0.98 males per female. 98.2% of the population is literate (age 15 and up). 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.), which reflects a coming drop in worker to retiree ratio. The annual average population growth is 0.33%.^[26]

Population 1 January 2007 was 5,447,084, which equals 128.48 inh./km² land area or 332.78 inh./sq mi. land area (16,368 sq mi). 1 April 2007, 5,451,826 people (128.60/km²;333.07/sq mi.) lived in Denmark.^[27] Censuses merely for population numbers are not conducted; they are based on the computerised, day-to-day updated Central Office of Civil Registration.

[edit] Education

Main article: Education in Denmark

The Danish education system offers free access to public school, high school and most kinds of higher education (universities etc.). About 99% of the general population attend elementary school (lasting 9 to 10 years); 86% attend secondary school and 41% pursue further education.

Primary school in Denmark is "den Danske Folkeskole" (translated: "the Danish Public School"). It goes from 0-10th grade (10th grade is optional). In Denmark one can also go to "Friskole"/"Privatskole" or "free school"/private school: schools that are not under the municipalities. An example is "Rudolf Steiner Skolerne" or "Waldorf Schools".

"folkehøjskolerne", introduced by N.F.S. Grundtvig in the 1800s, are social education structures without tests or grades but emphasising communal learning, self-discovery, and learning how to think.^[28]

Following graduation from "Folkeskolen", there are several other educational opportunities, including "Gymnasium" (comparable to High School), HF (similar to Gymnasium, but one year shorter), HTX (with focus on Mathematics and engineering), and HHX (with a focus on trading and business).

[edit] Culture

Main article: Culture of Denmark

See also: List of Danes

Hans Christian Andersen is known beyond Denmark for his moralistic fairy tales, such as "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", and "The Ugly Duckling". Karen Blixen (pen name: Isak Dinesen), Nobel laureate author Henrik Pontoppidan, and the Philosopher Søren Kirkegaard have also made a name for themselves outside Denmark.

Modern film makers of note include Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.

The capital city of Copenhagen includes the Tivoli gardens, the Amalienborg Palace (home of the Danish monarchy), The Little Mermaid.^[29]

The most popular sport in Denmark is football (soccer). Sailing and other water sports are popular, as are indoor sports such as badminton, handball and various forms of gymnastics. In Denmark there is also a smaller group of people doing motorsport, but with success. The most winning driver on the 24 Hours of Le Mans race ever, with 7 1st places is Tom Kristensen, who comes from Denmark.

Denmark, like its Scandinavian neighbors, has been historically considered to have one of the most socially progressive cultures in the world. Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize pornography (in 1969). Denmark later became the first country in the world to grant same-sex couples all of the rights and responsibilities of marriage, as registered partnership (in 1989).

[edit] Danish Food

Main article: Cuisine of Denmark

The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway), as well as that of northern Germany, its neighbor to the south, is heavy, consisting mainly of meat and fish. This stems from the country's agricultural past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.

Traditional Danish food includes frikadeller (fried meatballs, often served with potatoes and various sorts of gravy), karbonader/krebinetter (another sort of fried meatballs), steaks and so on. Mostly eaten with potatoes, which used to be very popular in Denmark. Fish is also widely eaten, especially on the west coast of Jutland. A favourite condiment, remoulade, is eaten with french fries, on fried plaice, on salami, spring rolls etc.

[edit] Military

Main articles: Military of Denmark and Military history of Denmark

The armed forces of Denmark are known as the Danish Defense Force (Danish: Det Danske Forsvar). During peacetime, the Ministry of Defence (FM) in Denmark employs, in four branches, 15,450 in the Royal Danish Army, 5,300 in the Royal Navy, 6,050 in the Danish Air Force and more than 55,000 in the Danish Home Guard following completion of their conscript service.

[edit] See also

• StatBank - Denmark's national statistical database
• Number the Stars - a fiction novel about the story of people living during World War 2 in Denmark
• List of cities in Denmark by population

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• (Danish) Busck, Steen and Poulsen, Henning (ed.), "Danmarks historie - i grundtræk", Aarhus Universitetsforlag, 2002, ISBN 87-7288-941-1
• (Danish) Michaelsen, Karsten Kjer, "Politikens bog om Danmarks oldtid", Politikens Forlag (1. bogklubudgave), 2002, ISBN 87-00-69328-6
• (Swedish) Nationalencyklopedin, vol. 4, Bokförlaget Bra Böcker, 2000, ISBN 91-7024-619-X

[edit] External links

Find more information on Denmark by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
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• Official travel and tourism site
• In-depth description of Denmark published by the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Encyclopaedia Britannica's Denmark country page
• Official Portal of Denmark
• History of Denmark: Primary Documents
• List of Danish cities from world-gazetteer.com
• Old Denmark in Cyberspace - Information about Denmark - the Danes
• Satellite image of Denmark at the NASA Earth Observatory
• Summary vital statistics about Denmark covering 1901 and forwards from Statistics Denmark
• Various statistics from Statistics Denmark statistikbanken.dk
• Newest releases from Statistics Denmark (Danish, English)
• Ministry of the Environment National Survey and Cadastre (Danish, English)
• Sea territory

v • d • e Topics on Denmark
History	Archaeology · Viking Age · Kalmar Union · Colonization of the Americas · Colonial empire · Scandinavian Monetary Union · Rescue of the Danish Jews · Postal history · List of Danish monarchs
Geography	Towns · Islands · Trees
Government	Constitution · Folketing · Counties · Foreign relations · Military · Courts of Denmark
Politics	Political parties (Social Democrats · Social Liberal Party · Conservative People's Party · Socialist People's Party · Danish People's Party · Venstre · Red-Green Alliance) · Elections · Council of State
Monarchy	Danish monarchs · Family tree · Succession · Order of the Elephant · Order of the Dannebrog
Economy	Companies · Communications · Transport · Stock Exchange
Culture	Language · Cinema · Cuisine · Education · Literature · Modern Breakthrough · Music · Public holidays
Other	List of Danes · Religion · Islam · Courts · Tourism · Scout Council · Jante Law

Geographic locale

v • d • e Sovereign states of Europe Albania · Andorra · Armenia2 · Austria · Azerbaijan1 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus2 · Czech Republic · Denmark3 · Estonia · Finland · France3 · Georgia1 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy3 · Kazakhstan1 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands3 · Norway3 · Poland · Portugal3 · Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) · Romania · Russia1 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain3 · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey1 · Ukraine · United Kingdom3 · Vatican City 1 Has majority of its territory in Asia.  2 Entirely in Asia but having socio-political connections with Europe.  3 Has dependencies or similar territories outside Europe. v • d • e Countries of the Baltic region Baltic states  Estonia  Latvia  Lithuania Other countries bordering  Denmark  Finland  Germany the Baltic Sea  Poland  Russia  Sweden

v • d • e Nations and regions of Europe speaking Germanic languages
Nordic	Denmark (including the Faroe Islands) · Finland (including Åland) · Iceland · Norway · Sweden
German	Alsace-Moselle · Austria · Belgium (German-speaking Community) · Germany · Liechtenstein · Luxembourg · South Tyrol · Switzerland
Dutch	Belgium (Flanders) · French Flanders · Lower Rhine · Netherlands
English	Gibraltar · Guernsey · Ireland · Isle of Man · Jersey · Malta · United Kingdom (England • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales)
Frisian	East Frisia · Netherlands (Friesland) · North Frisia · Saterland

International organizations

v • d • e International relations of Denmark Geographical and geopolitical: Europe (Western Europe) • European Union • Council of Europe • IHO • IPU • OAS (observer) Historical and cultural: Arctic Council • IOC • IOM • ISO • Nordic Council Economic and social development: AfDB • AsDB • BIS • EBRD • IADB • ICC • ICRM • IFRCS • ITUC • NIB • OECD • Paris Club • WCO • WTO Security: CBSS • EAPC • ICCt • Interpol • NATO • OSCE • PCA • WEU (observer) • ZC Technology and research: Australia Group • CERN • EIB • ESA • IAEA • IEA • NEA • NSG • OPCW United Nations: UN branches: MONUC • UNCTAD • UNHCR • UNMEE • UNMIL • UNMOGIP • UNOMIG • UNTSO UN Specialized Agencies: FAO • ICAO • IFAD • ILO • IMF • IMO • ITU • UNESCO • UNIDO • UPU • WHO • WIPO • WMO • World Bank Group (IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA) v • d • e Members of the European Union (EU) Austria · Belgium · Bulgaria · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Netherlands · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · United Kingdom v • d • e Council of Europe Albania · Andorra · Armenia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  · Turkey  · Ukraine  · United Kingdom v • d • e Nordic Council Members Denmark · Finland · Iceland · Norway · Sweden Associates Åland · Faroe Islands · Greenland v • d • e North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Members Belgium · Bulgaria · Canada · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Italy · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Turkey · United Kingdom · United States Candidates Albania · Croatia · Georgia · Republic of Macedonia (as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM))

Coordinates: 56°00′N, 10°00′E