About a fourth of all Danes live in the Copenhagen area, and almost half of the country's manufacturing industries are located there. Denmark has one of the world's highest standards of living. The Danes have achieved prosperity even though their land is poor in natural resources. They sell their products to other countries to pay for the fuels and metals they must import for their industries.

Denmark is famous for its farm products, particularly butter, cheese, bacon, ham, and other processed foods. It is also known for its beautifully designed manufactured goods, including furniture, porcelain, and silverware. Since the Viking era, the Danes have been a seafaring people, and Denmark is still one of the world's great shipping nations. Fishing has always played an important part in Denmark's economic life. The rich fishing grounds in the country's coastal waters and in the North Sea continue to ensure that fishing remains a major industry.

Denmark is a land of small green farms, blue lakes, and white coastal beaches. The carefully tended farmlands make up about three-fourths of the country. In the farm areas, the roofs of most houses are made of red or blue tiles, or are thatched. Storks, which the Danes believe bring good luck, build nests on some rooftops. Castles and windmills rise above the rolling landscape. Visitors can enjoy Denmark's charm even in the busy, modern cities, with their well-preserved sections of colourful old buildings and cobblestone streets.

 Government: the prime minister (today Poul Nyrup Rasmussen), parliament (Folketing) with 179 members (Socialists Democratic Party role) who are elected to four-year terms. One hundred and seventy-five are elected from Denmark, 2 from Greenland, and 2 from the Faeroe Islands. The whole country is devided in 14 counties with their own local government. All Danish citizens at least 18 years old may vote.
Area: 43,077 sq. km, (26,773 sq. miles) Greatest distances-east-west, 402 km (622 miles) ; north south, 362 km (583 miles). Coastline- 1,701 km (1,057 miles).
Elevation: Highest - Yding Skovhoj, 173 m (568 feet) above sea level. Lowest-sea level along the coasts.
Population: Estimated population 5,300,000; density, 119 persons per sq. km (74 persons pers sq. miles). distribution, 86 percent urban, 14 percent rural.
Chief products: Agriculture.-barley, beef and dairy cattle, eggs, pigs, milk, potatoes, poultry, sugar beet, wheat.
Fishing-cod, sandlances, trout, Manufacturing-bacon, butter, cheese, diesel engines, electrical and electronic equipment, furniture, ham, machinery, porcelain, ships, silverware.
National holiday: Constitution Day, June 5.
National anthems: "Kong Christian stod ved hojen mast" ("King Christian Stood by Lofty Mast") and "Der er et yndigt land" ("There Is a Lovely Land").
Money: Basic unit - krone (January 1999: 1 USD = 6,35 krone, 1 Euro = 7,45 krone).
Armed forces: Men from 20 to 25 years of age may be conscripted for nine months' service in the armed forces. Nato member.
GDP: $ 186,2 bn USD (2000)
GDP per head: $ 34,800 USD (2000)
GDP growth: 2,4%, Inflation: 2,2% (2000)

Cool Facts about Denmark

Denmark has many famous companies like Bang Olufsen (luxury designed stereos, TV:s, speakers etc.), Carlsberg (beer), Royal Copenhagen (porcelain), Georg Jensen Solvsmedie (silverware), Danfoss (thermostas), they are worl leaders in hearing aids. They are also well known for their furniture design, a Danish designed the famous sail-like vaults of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Danish have invented among other things the Lego (the famous children playthings), and the Danish (the pastry), Copenhagen's street "Stroget" is one of the longest shopping street in Europe and it's amusement park "Tivoli" is one of Europe's largest.

Fine paintings and sculptures by Danish and other European artists are on display in the State Museum of Art. The New Carlsberg Glyptotek features ancient Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, and Roman art. The Louisiana Museum, south of Helsingor, is noted for its collection of modern art. The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde houses five Viking ships dating from the AD. 1000´s. Don't miss the music festival in Roskilde, during the summer, which is one of the largest in Europe. Copenhagen is world famous for its Tivoli Gardens amusement park, which opened in 1843 in the heart of the city. The park offers ballet and pantomime, rides and shooting galleries, restaurants, circus acts, concerts, and fireworks displays. Probably the best things about Denmark is its many long and white beaches and charming villages. One of the world's longest bridges, the 16 km (10 miles) long bridge between Denmark and Sweden can be seen not long from Copenhagen.

People

Denmark has about 5,3 million people. Copenhagen, the largest city, has more than 1 million people. About a fourth of all Danes live in Copenhagen or its suburbs. Three other Danish cities have populations of more than 100,000. They are, in order of size, Arhus, Odense, and Alborg. The Danes are closely related to the Norwegians and the Swedes. Denmark's only ethnic minority group consists of about 40,000 people of German ancestry. They live in southern Jutland, along Denmark's border with Germany.

Language

Danish, the official language of Denmark, is closely related to the Norwegian and Swedish languages. German is spoken by the ethnic German minority. Virtually all adult Danes also speak English.

Way of Life

More than four-fifths of all Danes live in urban areas. The principal cities of Copenhagen, Arhus, Odense, and Alborg feature a striking combination of medieval structures, such as castles and cathedrals, and modern office buildings and homes. Denmark's high standard of living and extensive social welfare services ensure that the cities have virtually no slums or substandard housing. Most city dwellers live in flats. Many suburban residents live in single-family houses. Service industries employ most people in urban areas.

Danish cities are served by an extensive network of public transportation. Modern trains whisk people from the suburbs to the city centres. Trains also link cities to one another. Bicycles, buses, and cars provide the chief means of transportation within the cities. The growth of the urban population and the resulting increase in the number of cars and trucks have led to problems of traffic congestion and pollution, especially in Copenhagen. Industrial pollution, however, has decreased, as many urban factories that once burned coal for power now rely on natural gas.

Less than a fifth of the Danish people live in rural areas. But although cities dominate Denmark's economic and social life, the nation's many farms and rural villages show the continuing importance of agriculture. Danish farms are not large, and most are owned and operated by the people who live on them. Most residents in rural regions live in modernized single-family homes.

consists of open-faced sandwiches called smorrebrod. One sandwich may be a pyramid-shaped pile of about 20 small shrimps on thin bread. The Danes often prepare a plate of smorrebrod almost as a work of art, with many attractive sandwiches.

Denmark is famous for rich, flaky raised sweet rolls that are often called Danish pastries. Danes especially enjoy a nut-filled coffee cake called kringle. Typical desserts eaten by Danes include berry puddings and rice pudding. The Danish people typically drink coffee with breakfast and during morning and afternoon breaks from work. Many Danes drink beer with meals. On special occasions, they also may drink aquavit, a strong drink slightly flavoured with caraway.

Religion

About 97 percent of the Danish people belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the official church of Denmark. The people have complete freedom to worship as they please.

Education

Almost all adult Danes can read and write. Danish law requires children to attend nine years of school. Primary school consists of the first seven grades, and secondary school lasts from three to five years. A five-year secondary education makes a student eligible to enter a university. Denmark has three universities. The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest. It was founded in 1479 and has about 24,000 students. The others are those of Arhus and Odense.

Important literary works of the 1800´s include the romantic poems of Adam Oehlenschlager and the hymns of N. F. S. Grundtvig. Hans Christian Andersen won world fame for his fairy tales and is probably Denmark's best-known writer. The books of Soren Kierkegaard strongly influenced the development of the modern philosophy called existentialism. Three Danish writers have won the Nobel Price for literature.

Carl A. Nielsen is considered Denmark's greatest musical composer. He wrote six symphonies and many other works, including the comic opera Maskarade. In the field of dance, the ballet master August Bournonville made the most significant Danish contribution. The Royal Danish Ballet flowered under his direction during the mid-1800´s, and today it enjoys a worldwide reputation.

The Danish film director Carl Dreyer is regarded as a major figure in cinema history. His film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) is considered a masterpiece. In recent years, two Danish films have won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film: Babette´s Feast (1987), directed by Gabriel Axel, and Pelle the Conqueror (1988), directed by Bille August.

Outstanding works of Danish design include the silverware of Georg Jensen, the porcelain Royal Copenhagen and the furniture of Kaare Klint and Arne Jacobsen. As an architect, Jacobsen became known for his precise grouping of simple structural elements. Jorn Utzon designed the famous sail-like vaults of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia.

Recreation

Soccer is the most popular sport in Denmark. Other favourite sports include bicycling, gymnastics, rowing, sailing, swimming, and tennis. Danes have won Olympic and other world championships in most of these sports, and also in archery, boxing, diving, fencing, riding, weightlifting, and wrestling. Copenhagen is world famous for its Tivoli Gardens amusement park, which opened in 1843 in the heart of the city.

Social Welfare

Since the 1890´s, Denmark has developed many social welfare programmes. The country has insurance schemes that cover accidents, severe injuries, illness, old age, unemployment, and the death of husbands. Any person living in Denmark may join these programmes. Most schemes are managed by private, government-approved organizations, with costs shared by insured persons, employers, and the government. The government manages some schemes, including aid for the aged and for widows, and pays the total cost.

above sea level. The land is covered mainly by moraine, the riverlike formations of earth and stone deposited by melting glaciers thousands of years ago. The underlying rock can be seen in only a few areas.

Denmark has five main land regions: (1) the Western Dune Coast, (2) the Western Sand Plains, (3) the East-Central Hills, (4) the Northern FIat Plains, and (5) Bornholm. The Western Dune Coast consists chiefly of great sandy beaches that extend along almost the entire western coast. The Western Sand Plains are almost flat. Water from ancient melting glaciers flowed over this region and deposited much sand, forming the plains. The East-Central Hills make up Denmark's largest land region. This gently rolling region includes much of Jutland and almost all the nearby islands. Long, narrow fiords form natural harbours along the coastlines of the region. The largest inlet is Lim Fiord, which winds across northern Jutland for 180 kilometres (112 miles). This fiord forms an inland lagoon 24 kilometres (15 miles) wide.

The islands in the region lie close together. Their deep moraine soils are the best farmlands in Denmark. The largest island, Sjalland, is 7,027 square kilometres (4367 sq. miles). Sjalland is the most thickly populated part of Denmark. On this island stands most of Copenhagen, Denmark's capital and largest city. Denmark has many small lakes. They formed in small hollows left in the ground by melting ice from the glaciers.

Denmark has a mild, damp climate, chiefly because it is almost surrounded by water. In winter, seas are not so cold as land, and in summer they are not so warm. As a result, west winds from the seas warm Denmark in winter and cool it in summer. These winds affect Denmark's weather throughout the year. Also in winter, west winds bring some warmth from the North Atlantic Current of the Gulf Stream. Denmark is small, so the climate does not differ much from area to area. Winter temperatures average about 0 degrees Celsius in Denmark, with the coldest days from -9  to -7 Degrees Centigrades (16-45 Degrees Fahrenheit). Summer temperatures average 17 degrees Centigrades (63 Degress Fahrenheit). The warmest weather usually varies from 24 to 28 Degrees Centigrades (75-83 Degrees Fahrenheit).

Economy

Denmark has a strong economy, even though the country is poor in natural resources. Denmark obtains some natural gas and petroleum from wells in the North Sea. However, it still must import petroleum. Other mineral products of Denmark include chalk and industrial clays. Coal, as well as iron and most other metals, must be imported. Much of the soil in Denmark lacks nutrients, so it requires heavy use of fertilizers to make it productive. The land is flat or gently rolling, so the rivers cannot be used to generate hydroelectric power. Forests cover only about a tenth of the land and supply less than half of Denmark's wood. The seas that almost surround the country provide an inexpensive means of transportation by which Denmark can import its industrial needs and export its products. The seas are also rich in fish.

Service industries account for 69 per cent of Denmark's gross domestic product (GDP), which was GDP: $ 186,4 bn USD (1998). The GDP is the total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year. Industry accounts for 27 percent of the GDP, and agriculture, forestry, and fishing-taken together-account for 4 per cent of the GDP.

Service lndustries employ about 60 percent of the Danish labour force. Service industries are those economic activities that produce services, not goods. Manufacturing in Denmark has expanded rapidly since the mid-1900´s and has replaced agriculture as the nation's second largest economic activity. The government has done much to promote manufacturing by expanding educational programmes to train engineers, technicians, and skilled workers.

Nearly half of all Danish manufacturing is concentrated in the Copenhagen area. Danish factories produce high-quality goods, including stereos, television sets, furniture, porcelain, and silverware. Among Dennmark's other products are diesel engines, machinery, pharmaceuticals, ships, textiles and clothing, and processed foods, which include bacon, butter, cheese, ham and beer.

Farmland makes up about three-fourths of Denmark's total land area. Farms cover an average of about 40 hectares (100 acres). Until the 1880´s, wheat was Denmark´s most important farm product. Then wheat prices fell, and Danish farmers began to concentrate on the production of eggs, pigs, and milk. They organized cooperative dairies and slaughterhouses, and shared equpment and profits. Today, cooperatives cover all branch of farming. Rearing pigs and beef or dairy cattle is the major activity on most Danish farms. Most crops are used for livestock feed. They include barley (largest and most important), potatoes, sugar beet, and rape (a leafy herb). About 60 percent of the country's farm production is exported as meat and dairy products.

Danish fishing ships catch about 2 million metric tons of fish each year. Important fish include cod, herring, Norway pout, sand lances, sprat, and whiting. More than half the catch is taken from the North Sea. Esbjerg is Denmark's major fishing port.

Denmark became a member of the EC (European Community) in 1973, but is not included in the EMU (European Monetary Union).

Denmark has an excellent road system. There are about 1,5 million cars in Denmark, or about one car for every four people. At least half of the people use bicycles for transportation, and many road have separate bicycle lanes. A government-owned railway provides fast passenger service to most cities and towns. Train-carrying ferries connect many Danish lands with each other and with the mainland.

The government owns part of the Scandinavian Airlines System, which flies throughout the world. Denmark has many busy seaports, of which Copenhagen is the most important. Kastrup Airport, near Copenhagen, is one of Europe's largest air terminals. It handles about 15 million passengers a year.

Denmark has about 50 daily newpapers. The largest dailies include the Berlingske Tidende, B. T Ekstra Bladet and Politiken, all of Copenhagen. Almost all Danish families own at least one radio and one television set. Most radio and television broadcasting is handled by Radio Denmark, a public organization. The government owns and operates the Danish telegraph system and long-distance telephone service. Most local telephone service is privately owned.

1388 Queen Margaret was elected ruler of Sweden as well.
1397 Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were united in the Union of Kalmar.
1536 Lutheranism became the official Danish religion.
1657-1660 Denmark lost much territory to Sweden in the Danish-Swedish War.
1788 The government began freeing the Danish serfs.
1814 Denmark lost Norway to Sweden in the Napoleonic Wars.
1849 Denmark adopted its first democratic constitution.
1864 Denmark lost Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia and Austria.
1918 Denmark granted independence to Iceland, which remained under the Danish king until 1944.
1920 North Schleswig was returned to Denmark.
1940-1945 Germany occupied Denmark during World War II.
1944 Iceland ended its union with Denmark.
1949 Denmark and 11 other nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
1953 Denmark adopted a new constitution that ended the upper house of parliament.
1959 Denmark and six other countries formed the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
1973 Denmark became a member of the European Community.
1982 A Conservative-led coalition government replaced the government of the Social Democrats.

Early Days

As long as 100,000 years ago, people lived in what is now Denmark. Great changes in the climate occurred, and the region became too cold for human life. The climate started to become warmer about 14,000 years ago, and continuous settlement began. Farming developed in the region about 3,000 B.C. By the time of Christ, trade by sea had brought the people into close contact with leading civilizations. The contact expanded for hundreds of years. During this period, the Danes lived in small communities governed by local chieftains. About A.D. 950, all Denmark was united by King Harald Bluetooth. Harald fostered the spread of Christianity in Denmark. About 800, Danish seafarers began raiding European coastal towns and sailing away with slaves and treasure. The Danish Vikings spread terror throughout much of western Europe for about 300 years. The Vikings gained control of England in 1016, with the result that Danish kings ruled that country until 1042.

A Great Power

During the late 1100´s and early 1200´s, Danish power expanded along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea to Estonia, which Denmark conquered in l219. But a long period of civil wars and struggles with north German cities, beginning in the 1240´s, greatly weakened the country. Denmark regained its power under Queen Margaret, who became ruler of Denmark as regent for her young son in 1375. Margaret was also the wife of King Haakon VI of Norway. After he died in 1380, Margaret became regent of Norway as well as Denmark. In 1388, during political confusion in Sweden, Swedish nobles elected her to rule that country, too. In 1397, Margaret united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in the Union of Kalmar, with power centred in Denmark. Sweden broke away from the union in 1523. In 1536, during the Reformation, King Christian III established Lutheranism as the official religion of Denmark. That same year, Christian made Norway a province of Denmark.

Wars with Sweden

During the 1600´s and 1700´s, Sweden defeated Denmark in several wars fought for control of the Baltic Sea. During the Danish-Swedish War (1657-1660), Sweden won a great deal of Danish and Norwegian territory in what is now Sweden. Only pressure from England, France, and the Netherlands prevented Sweden from dividing Denmark itself. During the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Denmark tried unsuccessfully to win back the territory it had lost to Sweden. In 1788, Denmark began freeing its serfs. These peasants had been bound to the land on which they worked. Educational reforms were begun during the early 1800´s. Denmark sided with France in the Napoleonic Wars of that period and was defeated by Sweden in 1813. By the terms of the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, Denmark gave Norway to Sweden but kept Greenland and other Norwegian colonies.

The Schleswig Wars

In 1848, the pressure of public opinion forced King Frederik VII to accept a democratic constitution for Denmark. The constitution was adopted in 1849. It granted the highest power of government to an elected two-house parliament. Also in 1848, a revolt broke out in Holstein and Schleswig, two Danish duchies that were located just south of Denmark. These regions were ruled by the Danish king, though they were not part of Denmark. A revolutionary government of Schleswig-Holstein was established. This government wanted to throw off Danish control and join the German Confederation, of which Holstein was already a member. Danish troops defeated the rebels in 1850. In 1863, Schleswig was made a part of Denmark. Prussia and its ally, Austria, invaded Denmark in 1864. They won a quick victory and took over Schleswig and Holstein.

Social and Political Reforms

During the late 1800´s, education, industry, and trade were expanded in Denmark. The Danes also developed cooperatives and improved their farming methods. At this time, the upper classes had special rights that gave them control of the upper house of the parliament. The small farmers and industrial workers formed political parties and struggled for political equality. A new constitution was adopted in 1915 during the reign of Christian X, who served as king from 1912 to 1947. By the terms of the constitution, the special rights of the upper classes were abolished, and Denmark became a parliamentary democracy.

Denmark remained neutral during World War I (1914-1918). After the war, Denmark granted independence to Iceland, a Danish colony. However, Iceland stayed united with Denmark until 1944, when it became a republic. In 1920, the Allies transferred North Schleswig to Denmark from Germany. Most people of the region had voted for the transfer.

World War II

World War II began in 1939. On April 9, 1940, German forces invaded Denmark, and the Danes surrendered after a few hours of fighting. The Germans allowed the Danish government to continue as long as it met their demands. But resistance groups developed and blew up factories and transportation facilities. The Germans took over the government of Denmark in August 1943. In september 1943, the Danes organized the secret Freedom Council to lead the resistance movement. They also helped about 7,000 Danish Jews escape to Sweden. On May 5, 1945, after the fall of Germany, Allied troops entered Denmark and the Germans there surrendered. Denmark became a charter member of the United Nations in 1945 and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. During the late 1940´s, the United States gave Denmark much aid. The Danes rebuilt industries that had been damaged during the war, and the nation's economy became strong again.

Postwar Years

Political reform and economic expansion in Denmark continued during the 1950´s and 1960´s. In 1953, a majority of Danish voters approved a new constitution that abolished the upper house of parliament. The constitution also made Greenland a province of Denmark, rather than a colony. In addition, Danish voters approved a law that permitted both males and females to inherit the throne.

In 1960, Denmark and six other European countries, including Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden, formed the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Denmark resigned from the EFTA in 1972, and in 1973, entered the European Community (EC), an economic association of Western European nations. In 1966, Denmark launched a massive economic development programme in Greenland. The programme called for the expansion and modernization of Greenland's towns and of its fishing and food-processing industries. In 1979, the Danish parliament granted home rule-that is, the power of local self-government-to Greenland. King Frederik IX died in 1972. His oldest daughter, Margrethe, succeeded him to the throne.

Recent Developments

During the 1970´s and early 1980´s, Denmark-like many countries-faced an economic recession. In 1982, a Conservative-led coalition government replaced the government of the Social Democrats. This centre-right coalition has worked to encourage economic recovery, but Denmark still faces problems of environmental pollution, unemployment, and the high cost of welfare services.

In 1992, Danish voters rejected the ECs 1991 Treaty on European Union which had been agreed at Maastricht in the Netherlands. The Maastricht treaty required support from all 12 member states before it could go into effect.

Members of the EC (European Community):

Austria
Belgium
Denmark (not included in the 1999 - EMU)
Finland
France
Germany
Greece (not included in the 1999 - EMU)
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Nerherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden (not included in the 1999 - EMU)
United Kingdom (not included in the 1999 - EMU)

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