About Denmark

FAST FACTS

OFFICIAL NAME: Kingdom of Denmark

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy

CAPITAL: Copenhagen

POPULATON: 5,809,502

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Danish

MONEY: Krone

AREA: 16,638 square miles (43,094 square kilometers)

Denmark is a northern European country. It is made primarily of the Jutland Peninsula and around 400 North Sea islands. To the south, it shares a border with Germany. The country is nearly twice as big as Massachusetts.

The landscape in Denmark is primarily flat, with some gently undulating hills. Glaciers swept slowly across the landmass throughout the Ice Age, shaping the country as we know it today. Denmark’s coastline is long and winding, with numerous lagoons, gulfs, and inlets. The sea is never more than 32 miles (67 kilometers) away from any portion of Denmark. Despite its location in northern Europe, Denmark has a pleasant climate due to the Gulf Stream’s warm waters.

The Danes are the people of Denmark. They are Nordic Scandinavians, many of them are tall, blond, and blue-eyed. Some people in the southern region of the country are of German heritage.

The Danes enjoy one of the best living levels in the world. Every year, every Danish family receives nearly $1,500 for each child under the age of 18. Around 85% of Danes are members of the National Church of Denmark. Copenhagen, the capital, has a population of over one million people. Smørrebrød, or open sandwiches, are a traditional Danish meal. Cold cuts, cheese, and spreads are served on dark rye bread in these sandwiches.

Denmark was previously densely forested, but nearly all the natural forest has been cleared. The red deer is the largest mammal in Denmark today. Denmark has around 300 different bird species. Many different butterfly species can be found in Denmark during the summer.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with a democratic government. In January 2012, Queen Margrethe II marked 40 years on the throne. Denmark boasts Europe’s longest uninterrupted line of kings. King Gorm of the tenth century is the ancestor of Queen Margrethe II.

The prime minister is the government’s leader, even though the Queen is the head of state. The Folketing, the Danish Parliament’s sole chamber, is made up of 179 elected members.

Denmark has been inhabited since the Stone Age, with evidence of people living there as early as 50,000 B.C. Viking warriors from Denmark and other Scandinavian countries ravaged Europe from the 9th to 11th centuries. Most current Danish cities were built following the Viking Age.

In the late 14th century, Queen Margrethe unified Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as the Union of Kalmar. Even though Sweden left the Union in 1523, Denmark dominated Norway until 1814. The governments of Germany and Denmark agreed not to attack each other during World War II, but Germany launched a surprise attack on Denmark in 1940. Germany seized over in 1943, despite the fact that the country was able to keep its own government at first.