Background: Once the birthplace of the Vikings, and later a powerful northern European power, Denmark has become a modern, prosperous state that takes part in the political and economic integration of Europe. So far, however, the country has not accepted some of the provisions of the EU’s Maastricht Treaty, including a new unified monetary system. See areacodesexplorer.com to know more about Denmark History.
Geography
Location: Northern Europe, coast of the Baltic and North Seas, located on a peninsula north of Germany.
Geographical coordinates: 56° 00′ N. latitude, 10° 00′ E.
Reference map: Europe.
Area: total: 43,094 km2; land surface area: 42,394 km2; water surface area: 700 km2; note: including the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of Denmark, but excluding the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts.
Land borders: total: 68 km; with neighboring states: with Germany 68 km.
Coastline: 7,314 km.
Maritime claims: neutral waters: 24 nautical miles; continental shelf: to a depth of 200 m or to the depth of field development; exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles.
Climate: temperate; humid and cloudy; mild windy winters and cool summers.
Terrain: Low and flat or slightly hilly plains.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Lamme Fjord -7 m; highest point: Eyer Bavnkhoy hill 173 m.
Natural resources: oil, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and sand.
Land use: arable land: 60%; cultivated land: 0%; pastures: 5%; forests and plantations: 10%; others: 25% (1993 est.).
Irrigated lands: 4,350 sq. km. (1993 est.).
Natural hazards: floods pose a threat in some areas of the country (in part of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland), which are fenced off from the sea by a system of dams.
Current environmental issues: air pollution, mainly emissions from vehicles and power plants; pollution of the North Sea with nitrogen and phosphorus compounds; drinking and surface waters are polluted with animal waste and pesticides.
International agreements on environmental protection: contributor: Air Pollution, Air Pollution – Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution – Sulfur 1985, Air Pollution – Sulfur 1994, Air Pollution – Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Change, Hazardous Waste, Marine Pollution, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 1983, Tropical Timber 1994, Wetlands, Whaling; signed but not ratified: Air Pollution – Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctica – Protocol on Environmental Protection, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea.
Note to the section “Geography”: controls the Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat), connecting the Baltic and North Seas; about a quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen.
Population
Population: 5,352,815 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 18.59% (male 510,826; female 484,385); 15 to 64 years old: 66.56% (male 1,804,617; female 1,758,017); over 65: 14.85% (male 331,906; female 463,062) (2001 est.).
Population growth: 0.3% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 11.96 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 10.9 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: 1.98 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male/female; under 15: 1.05 male/female; from 15 to 64 years old: 1.03 male/female; over 65: 0.72 male/female; for the general population: 0.98 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 5.04 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 76.72 years; men: 74.12 years; women: 79.47 years (2001 est.).
General birth rate: 1.73 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of adults infected with HIV: 0.17% (1999 est.).
Number of people infected with HIV: 4,300 (1999 est.).
AIDS deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.).
Nationality: noun: Dane; adjective: Danish.
Ethnic groups: Scandinavians, Eskimos, Faroe Islanders, Germans, Turks, Iranians, Somalis.
Believers: Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestants and Catholics 3%, Muslims 2%.
Languages): Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Eskimo dialect), German (small minority); note: English is the predominant second language.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who can read and write; for the general population: 100%; men: no data; women: no data. State Name:
Politics
Common long form: Kingdom of Denmark;
conventional short form: Denmark; local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark
State structure: constitutional monarchy.
Capital: Copenhagen.
Administrative division: the metropolis is divided into 14 districts (amts) and 2 communes*: Bornholm, Vejle, Viborg, West Zealand, Copenhagen, Copenhagen*, Aarhus, Ribe, Ringkøbing, Roskilde, North Jutland, Storström, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Funen, South Jutland; note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are parts of the Kingdom of Denmark and self-governing administrative units.
Dependent Territories:
Independence: first emerged as an independent state in the 10th century; in 1849 it became a constitutional monarchy.
National holiday: not established, it is usually considered to be Constitution Day, 5 June.
Constitution: constitution adopted in 1849; On June 5, 1953, an important amendment was passed introducing a unicameral legislative system and giving a woman the opportunity to be head of state.
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts is possible; subject to the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
head of state: Queen MARGRET II (MAR-GRETHEII) (since 14 January 1972); heir Crown Prince FREDERIK (FREDERIK), eldest son of the Queen (born 26 May 1968);
head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25 January 1993);
Government: Socialist People’s Party 13, United Red-Green List 5; opposition parties: Liberal Party 42, Conservative Party 16, Danish People’s Party 13, Democratic Center Party 8, Christian People’s Party 4, Progressive Party (now called Freedom 2000); not including 4 seats for representatives of overseas territories.
Legislature: unicameral Parliament (Folketing) (179 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation for 4 years); elections: last held 11 March 1998 (next to be held in March 2002); election results: distribution of votes between parties: no data; distribution of seats among parties: pro-government parties: Social Democratic Party 65, Socialist People’s Party 13, Social Liberal Party 7, United Red-Green List 5; opposition: Liberal Party 43, Conservative Party 17, Danish People’s Party 13, Democratic Center Party 8, Christian People’s Party 4, Progressive Party 4; distribution of seats as of January 1, 2001: government coalition parties: Social Democratic Party 63, Social Liberal Party 7; parties that support
Judiciary: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the monarch for life.
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Center Party (Mimi JAKOBSEN); Christian People’s Party (Jann SJURSEN); Conservative Party (Bent BENTSEN [Bendt BENDTSEN]); Danish People’s Party (Pia KJAERS-GAARD); Liberal Party (Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN); Progressive Party (now called Freedom 2000) (Kim BEHNKE); Social Democratic Party (Paul Nyrup RASMUSSEN); Social Liberal Party (Marianne JEL-VED, Johannes LEBECH); Socialist People’s Party (Olger NIELSEN [Holger K. NIELSEN]); A single red-green list (bloc of the Left Socialist Party, the Communist Party of Denmark, the Socialist Workers’ Party) (collective leadership).
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: AUV, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS ( observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC.
Diplomatic Representation in the USA: Head of Mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL; office: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone: [1] (202) 234-4300; fax: [1] (202) 328-1470; consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York.
US Mission: Chief of Mission: Ambassador Stuart BERNSTEIN; embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen; mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716; phone: [45] 35 55 31 44; fax: [45] 35 38 96 16.
Description of the flag: red with a white cross reaching the sides of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is offset to the pole, this design element of the Danish flag (Dannebrog) was subsequently used by other Scandinavian countries (Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden).
