Denmark

For other uses, see Denmark (disambiguation).

The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark) is geographically the smallest Nordic country and is part of the European Union. It is located in Scandinavia, which is in northern Europe. Denmark borders the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, and consists of a peninsula attached to Northern Germany named Jutland (Jylland in Danish), the islands Funen (Fyn), Zealand (Sjælland), Bornholm and many smaller islands. Denmark is north of Germany, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are The Crown of Denmark's territories, each with political home rule.

Kongeriget Danmark

Missing image Civil_Flag_Denmark.png Flag of Denmark (In Detail)
Motto of the Queen: Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke (English: God's help, the People's love, Denmark's strength)
Official language	Danish1
Capital	Copenhagen
Largest City	Copenhagen
Monarch	Margrethe II
Prime Minister	Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Area - Total  - % water - With Territories	Ranked 131st 43,094 km² 1.6% 2,389,903km²
Population - Total (2005) - Density	Ranked 108th 5,432,335 125/km²
GDP (2005) - Total (PPP) - Total - GDP/capita (PPP) - GDP/capita	$188 billion (43rd) $266 billion (28th) $34,718 (6th) $49,182 (6th)
Currency	Danish krone
Time zone  - in summer	CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2)
National anthem	Der er et yndigt land
Royal anthem	Kong Christian
Internet TLD	.dk
Calling Code	+45
1 Co-official with Greenlandic in Greenland, and Faroese in the Faroe Islands, as well as German, which is a recognised and protected minority language in southern Denmark.

Contents

1 History 2 Politics and Government 3 Counties 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

History

Main article: History of Denmark

The origin of Denmark is lost in prehistory. Prior to being populated by Scandinavians, Denmark was home to Celts - as evidenced by the discovery of ritualistic bog murders and burials. The oldest Danevirke is from the 7th century, at the same time as the new Runic alphabet.

Up into the 11th century the Danes were known as Vikings, together with Norwegians and Swedes, colonising, raiding and trading in all parts of Europe. Many archaeologist and historians believe that the Viking even made it as far as America. They traveled from Scandinavia to Iceland, then further to Greenland and then finaly America.

At various times Denmark has ruled parts of England and Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and parts of the Virgin Islands, Tranquebar in India, parts of the Baltic coast and what is now northern Germany. Scania, Blekinge and Halland were part of Denmark for most of its early history, but were lost to Sweden in 1658. The union with Norway was dissolved in 1814, when Norway entered a new union with Sweden (until 1905).

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

After the Second War of Schleswig in 1864 Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia, in a defeat that left deep marks in the Danish national identity. After this point Denmark adopted a policy of neutrality, following which Denmark stayed neutral in World War I.

On April 9, 1940, Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany (Operation Weserübung) and remained occupied throughout World War II, despite some internal resistance. After the war, Denmark became a member of NATO and, in 1973, the European Economic Community (later, the European Union).

Politics and Government

Main article: Politics of Denmark

In 1849 Denmark became a constitutional monarchy with the adoption of a new constitution. The monarch is formally head of state, a role which is mainly ceremonial, since executive power is exercised by the cabinet ministers, with the prime minister acting as the first among equals (primus inter pares). Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Danish parliament, known as the Folketing, which consists of (no more than) 179 members. The Danish Judiciary is functionally and administratively independent of the executive and the legislature.

Elections for parliament must be held at least every four years; but the prime minister can call for an earlier election, if he so decides. Should parliament succeed in a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister the entire government resigns.

Counties

Main article: Counties of Denmark

Denmark is divided into 13 counties (amter, singular amt), and 271 municipalities (kommuner, singular kommune): (Right now (june 2005) the municipalities are changed to larger areas => less municipalities. Not all new borders are defined yet.

• Aarhus
• Frederiksborg
• Funen (Fyn)
• Copenhagen (København)
• North Jutland (Nordjylland)
• Ribe
• Ringkjøbing
• Roskilde
• South Jutland (Sønderjylland)
• Storstrøm
• Vejle
• Viborg
• West Zealand (Vestsjælland)

Three municipalities have county privileges:

• Bornholm (regional municipality)
• Copenhagen (København)
• Frederiksberg

Copenhagen County comprises the municipalities of metropolitan Copenhagen, except Copenhagen Municipality and Frederiksberg Municipality. Bornholm Regional Municipality comprise the five former municipalities on the island Bornholm and the island's former county.

It should be noted that as of July 2004, the government is in the process of a structural reform (the Municipality Reform, Kommunalreformen). The 13 counties (amter) will in 2007 be replaced with 5 new regions (regioner), while the 271 municipalities will be consolidated into around 100 larger units of at least 20,000 inhabitants and take over most of the responsibilities of the current counties.

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

Geography

Main article: Geography of Denmark

Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) and 405 named islands. Of these, 82 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 islands are connected by bridges; the Øresund Bridge connects Zealand with Sweden, the Great Belt Bridge connects Funen with Zealand, and the Small Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen.

The country is mostly flat with little elevation; the highest natural point is [Ejer Bavnehoej], at 171 metres. The climate is temperate, with mild winters and cool summers. Main cities are the capital Copenhagen (on Zealand), Aarhus, Aalborg (on Jutland) and Odense (on Fyn).

Economy

Main article: Economy of Denmark Template:Factbook section

This thoroughly modern 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.

The Danish economy is highly unionized; 75% of its labor force [1] (http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/01/10/business/unions2.html) are members of a union in the Danish Confederation of 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 company's board of directors. Rules on work schedules and pay are negotiated between unions and employers, with minimal government involvement.

The government has been very successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a September 2000 referendum, reconfirmed its decision not to join the 12 other EU members in the euro. Even so, the Danish currency remains pegged to the euro.

Denmark has also placed first on the Economist Intelligence Unit's "e-readiness" rankings for the past two years. "A country's "e-readiness" is a measure of its e-business environment, a collection of factors that indicate how amenable a market is to Internet-based opportunities."

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 2003 immigrants made up 6.2% of the total population.

Danish is spoken in the entire country, although a small group near the German border also speaks German.

According to official statistics from January 2002 84.3% of Danes are members of the state church, the Danish People's Church (Den Danske Folkekirke), also known as the Church of Denmark, a form of Lutheranism; the rest are primarily of other Christian denominations and also about 3% are Muslims.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Denmark

Perhaps the most famous Dane is actually a fictional character: Hamlet, the title character of William Shakespeare's greatest play. The Dane most well-known in other countries is probably Hans Christian Andersen, a writer mostly famous for his fairy tales, such as The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling.

Other well known Danes include:

• Morten Andersen, NFL kicker (Only in the United States)
• Bille August, film director
• Hans Beck, dancer, ballet master
• Karen Blixen, also known as Isak Dinesen, author
• Niels Bohr, physicist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Aage Niels Bohr, physicist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Victor Borge, entertainer, pianist
• Auguste Bournonville, ballet dancer, choreographer
• Hans Brenaa, dancer, ballet master
• Tycho Brahe, astronomer
• Erik Bruhn, dancer, ballet master
• Ole Kirk Christiansen, inventor of LEGO
• René Dif, member of the pop band Aqua
• Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, painter
• Johannes Andreas Grib Fibiger, physician and Nobel Prize laureate
• Niels Ryberg Finsen, physician and Nobel Prize laureate
• Karl Gjellerup, author and Nobel Prize laureate
• N.F.S. Grundtvig, pioneering educationalist
• Anders Hejlsberg, computer scientist, inventor of the C# programming language
• Ludvig_Holberg, dramatist, historian, and essayist
• Arne Jacobsen, architect, designer
• Georg Jensen, designer
• Johannes Vilhelm Jensen, Author and Nobel Prize laureate
• Niels Kaj Jerne, immunologist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Søren Kierkegaard, existentialist philosopher
• Schack August Steenberg Krogh, physiologist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Toni Lander, dancer, ballet master
• Bent Larsen, professional chess player
• Vilhelm Lauritzen, architect
• Rasmus Lerdorf, computer scientist, inventor of the PHP programming language
• Jørgen Leth, filmmaker
• Knud Ejler Løgstrup, Christian philosopher
• Viggo Mortensen, actor
• Whigfield, singer
• Brigitte Nielsen, actress
• Connie Nielsen, actress
• Carl Nielsen, composer
• Jakob Nielsen, mathematician
• Hans Christian Ørsted, physicist, discoverer of electromagnetism
• Dirch Passer, actor
• Henrik Pontoppidan, author and Nobel Prize laureate
• Kirsten Ralov, dancer, ballet master
• Knud Rasmussen, explorer
• Jacob Riis, photographer,journalist and social activist
• Jens Christian Skou, Chemist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Niels Steensen, anatomist, Roman Catholic bishop and saint
• Bjarne Stroustrup, computer scientist, inventor of the C++ programming language
• Bertel Thorvaldsen, sculptor
• Lars von Trier, film director
• Lars Ulrich, musician, member of band Metallica
• Jørn Utzon, architect

Miscellaneous topics

• Courts of Denmark
• Communications in Denmark
• Danish colonization of the Americas
• Education in Denmark
• Foreign relations of Denmark
• Holidays in Denmark
• List of Danish monarchs - Danish monarchs family tree
• Danish Orders of Chivalry
• List of towns in Denmark
• Military of Denmark
• Rescue of the Danish Jews
• Stamps and postal history of Denmark
• Tourism in Denmark
• Transportation in Denmark
• Trees of Denmark
• Reporters without borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2004: Ranked 1 out of 166 countries (in an 8-way tie)

See also

• Cuisine of Denmark
• Culture of Denmark
• List of Danish painters
• List of notable Danish people
• List of people on stamps of Denmark
• Music of Denmark

References

• In-depth description of Denmark published by the Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://www.um.dk/Publikationer/UM/English/Denmark/index.asp)

External links

• Government of Denmark (http://www.denmark.dk/)
• Danish Newspapers (http://www.mediatico.com/en/newspapers/europe/denmark)
• Information on the Danish constitution (http://grundlov.thepusher.dk/index.english.php)
• Satellite image of Denmark (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=14785) at NASA's Earth Observatory
• Old Denmark in Cyberspace - Information about Denmark and the Danes (http://www.bo-k.dk/dk/)
• List of Danish cities (http://www.world-gazetteer.com/s/p_dk.htm) from world-gazetteer.com
• Human rights reports (http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/denmark/index.do) from Amnesty International
• Danish military history (http://www.milhist.dk/index_uk.htm)
• Online charts and maps by the Danish survey authority (http://www.kms.dk/C1256C62002F8C6B/)

Countries in Europe
Albania | Andorra | Austria | Azerbaijan1 | Belarus | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus2 | Czech Republic | Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France | Germany | Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg | Macedonia | Malta | Moldova | Monaco | Netherlands | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania | Russia1 | San Marino | Serbia and Montenegro | Slovakia | Slovenia | Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey1 | Ukraine | United Kingdom | Vatican City
Dependencies: Akrotiri and Dhekelia2 | Faroe Islands | Gibraltar | Guernsey | Jan Mayen | Jersey | Isle of Man | Svalbard
1. Country partly in Asia. 2. Usually assigned to Asia geographically, but often considered European for cultural and historical reasons.

af:Denemarke

ang:Denemearc ast:Dinamarca bg:Дания bn:ডেনমার্ক ca:Dinamarca cs:Dánsko cy:Denmarc da:Danmark de:Dänemark et:Taani el:Δανία es:Dinamarca eo:Danio fo:Danmark fr:Danemark fy:Denemark ga:An Danmhairg gd:An Danmhairg gl:Dinamarca - Danmark ko:덴마크 ht:Dànmak hi:डेनमार्क hr:Danska io:Dania id:Denmark ia:Danmark is:Danmörk it:Danimarca he:דנמרק ka:დანია csb:Dëńskô ks:Ḍēnamārka la:Dania lv:Dānija lt:Danija li:Daenemark ms:Denmark zh-min-nan:Dan-kok nl:Denemarken nds:Däänmark ja:デンマーク nb:Danmark nn:Danmark oc:Danemarc pl:Dania pt:Dinamarca ro:Danemarca ru:Дания se:Dánmárku sa:डेनमार्क simple:Denmark sk:Dánsko sl:Danska sr:Данска fi:Tanska sv:Danmark ta:டென்மார்க் tr:Danimarka uk:Данія yi:דענמאַרק zh:丹麦