(Redirected from Danmark)
'Denmark', officially the 'Kingdom of Denmark ' (, , (archaic:) , literally meaning "the boundary of Danes") is the southernmost and geographically smallest of the five
Nordic countries if its offshore territories are excluded, and the largest if they are included. Denmark is one of the
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, including 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.
History
Main articles: History of Denmark
''Hankehøj'', by
Johan Thomas Lundbye. A Danish down. Note the glacial character of the terrain and the kurgan, or burial mound of an early chief, in the centre.
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, although
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). 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..
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 whom the modern
Danish people are descended. The
Danevirke defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward,
[Michaelsen (2002), pp. 122–23.] and the sheer size of the construction efforts in 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king.
The
new runic alphabet was first used at the same time, and
Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about 700.
Pre Christian Denmark
Main articles: Viking age
From the 8th to the 10th century, the
Danes were known as
Vikings, and together with
Norwegians and
Geats, 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 Meadows), also known today as
Newfoundland, in
Canada. The Danish Vikings were most active in the
British Isles and Western Europe, and they temporarily conquered and settled parts of
England (known as the
Danelaw),
Ireland,
France and founded
Normandy,and more
Anglo-Saxon pence of this period have been found in Denmark than in England, however, as attested by the
Jelling stones, the Danes were united and
Christianized about 965 by
Harald Bluetooth, but it is believed that Denmark became Christian to prevent invasion by the
Holy Roman Empire, which was also an important trading area for the Danes, but in that case Harald built six
fortresses around Denmark called
Trelleborg and built a further
Danevirke.
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 because the Norwegian royal bloodline was extinct from the plague that ravaged Scandinavia.
Recent history
Map of Denmark
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''.
[6] 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 peacefully 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 (now the
European Union) after a
public referendum.
Greenland gained home rule in 1979.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of Denmark
The ''
Folketing'' in session. The speaker's podium seen from the balcony of the former members of parliament.
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
Folketinget (the Danish 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
[7].
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Since November 2001, the Danish Prime Minister has been Anders Fogh Rasmussen from the
Venstre party, a center-right liberal party. The government is a coalition including Venstre and
The Conservative Peoples Party with their parliamentary support, the generally
nationalist right-wing Dansk Folkeparti.
Geography
Main articles: 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 , from north to south .
Denmark consists of the
peninsula of
Jutland ''(Jylland)'' and 443 named
islands (1419 islands above 100 m² in total (2005)).
[8] 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 and the highest natural point is
Møllehøj, at . Other hills in the same area southwest of Århus are
Yding Skovhøj at and
Ejer Bavnehøj at .
[9] 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).
[ Nature & Environment ] 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.
[10]
Denmark seen from space.
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.
[11] 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.
[12]
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.
[13] 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.
[Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Jul''.] 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'').
[14] Celebrations of Midsummer have taken place since pre-Christian times.
[Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Majskikke''.]
Regions and municipalities
Main articles: Regions of Denmark,
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.
The
Ertholmene archipelago (95 inhabitants (2007)) is neither part of a municipality, nor a region but belongs to the
Ministry of Defence.
[15]
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.
| 'Country/Region' | 'Population' | 'Area' (km²) | 'Density' (Pop per km²) |
| Denmark | 5,430,590 | 43,094 | 126 |
| ''Faroe Islands (Denmark)'' | 47,017 | 1,399 | 34 |
| ''Greenland (Denmark)'' | 56,916 | 2,175,600 | 0.026 |
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Denmark
Denmark's
market economy features very efficient agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, very high 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.
[16] Most trade unions take part in the organized system of trade unions, the organization at the highest level 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 generally cooperative: unions often 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 for July 2007 was 3.3%, for a total of 90,500 persons, a reduction by 97,000 persons - 2,300 per month - or 52% since December 2003
[17]. The number of unemployed is forecast to be 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.
[18] Parttime jobs included.
[19] Because of the present high demand and short supply of skilled labour, especially for 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.
[ Danskere arbejder mere og mere Jens Nüchel ]
Danish notes and coins
Denmark's national currency, the ''
krone'' (plural: kroner), is de facto linked to the
Euro through
ERMII.
[ Denmark and the euro ] The exchange rate is very steady at approx. 7.45 kroner per euro. Currently the krone converts to American dollars at a rate of about
USD 0.18 per krone (about 5.4 kroner per dollar). (Exchange rates updated August 2007)
The government has met the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (the common European currency - the Euro) of the
Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a
September 2000 referendum, rejected The 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 previous payment of contributions. However, the largest share of the financing is still carried by the central government and is financed from general taxation, and only to a minor degree from earmarked contributions.
The Danish welfare model is accompanied by a taxation system that is both broad based (25% VAT and excise) and with high income tax rates (minimum tax rate for adults is 39.6%).
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.
Transport
Main articles: 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 the greater Copenhagen area has an extensive
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).
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Denmark,
Languages 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 as of
1 January 2007, 477,700 immigrants and their descendants made up 8.9% of the total population — a large number of whom come from
South Asia and the
Middle East. People of Danish descent totaled 4,968,436 people.
[20] During recent years, anti-immigration sentiment has surfaced in Denmark as is the case also in many other parts of Europe.
[21] Nevertheless, the number of residence permits granted related to labour and to people from within the
EU/
EEA has increased since implementation of new immigration laws in 2001.
[22]
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.
The oldest state recognized religious societies and churches are:
★
The Catholic Church in Denmark recognized by the state since 1682
★
The Reformed Church recognized by the state since 1682.
★
Det Mosaiske Troessamfund, the main Jewish organisation in Denmark, recognized by the state since 1682.
Religion, religious societies and churches do not need to be state-recognized in Denmark and can be granted right to weddings etc. without this recognition.
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, as of
1 January 2007 it has 45% (2,452,962) of the population. The average population density of this area is 254.9 inhabitants per km² (660.27 per sq mi). The average density in the west of the country (32,772 km²/12,653 sq mi) is 91.36/km² (236.62 per sq mi)(2,994,122 people) (2007).
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%.
[23]
Population
1 April 2007 was 5,451,826, which equals 128.60 inh./km² land area or 333.07 inh./sq mi. land area (16,368 sq mi).
[24] 1 July: 5,457,415.
[25] Censuses merely for population numbers are not conducted; they are based on the computerised, day-to-day updated
Central Office of Civil Registration.
Education
Old main building of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark's oldest and largest university
The Danish
education system offers free access to
primary school,
secondary school and most kinds of
higher education (
universities etc.). About 99% of the general population attend compulsory 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 1st-10th grade (10th grade is optional, as is the introductory ''børnehaveklasse'' ("kindergarten class")). In Denmark one can also go to ''Friskole'' ("free school") or ''Privatskole'' ("
private school"): i.e. schools that are not under the administration of the
municipalities; e.g.
Christian schools or
Waldorf Schools.
Following graduation from ''Folkeskolen'', there are several other educational opportunities, including ''
Gymnasium'' (academically oriented upper
secondary education),
Higher Preparatory Examination (HF) (similar to ''Gymnasium'', but one year shorter),
Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) (with focus on
Mathematics and
engineering), and
Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX) (with a focus on trade and business), as well as
vocational education, training young people for work in specific
trades by a combination of teaching and
apprenticeship.
''Gymnasium'', HF, HTX and HHX aim at qualifying students for
higher education in universities and
colleges. Denmark has several
universities; the largest and oldest are the
University of Copenhagen and
University of Aarhus.
''
Folkehøjskolerne'', ("Folk high schools") introduced by politician, clergyman and poet
N.F.S. Grundtvig in the
19th century, are social, informal education structures without tests or grades but emphasising communal learning, self-discovery, enlightenment, and learning how to think.
[26]
Culture
Windmills, antique (pictured) and modern, accent the gently rolling meadowlands of Denmark.
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, Nobel laureate physicist
Niels Bohr, and the Philosopher
Søren Kierkegaard have also made a name for themselves outside Denmark.
The capital city of
Copenhagen includes the
Tivoli gardens, the
Amalienborg Palace (home of the Danish monarchy),
The Little Mermaid.
[27]
Historically, Denmark, like its Scandinavian neighbors, has been one of the most socially progressive cultures in the world. For example, in 1969, Denmark was the first country to legalize pornography. And in 1989, Denmark enacted a
registered partnership law, being the first country in the world to grant same-sex couples nearly all of the rights and responsibilities of
marriage.
Cinema of Denmark
Main articles: Cinema of Denmark
Modern film makers of note include
Lars von Trier and
Thomas Vinterberg, who in the 1990s brought international attention to Danish cinema with the
Dogme 95 film movement. Denmark was also the home of one of the most acclaimed director's in the history of cinema:
Carl Th. Dreyer.
Danish sport
Main articles: Sports in Denmark
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 seven 1st places is
Tom Kristensen, who comes from Denmark. Other notable Danish sportspeople include
American football's
National Football League all-time leading scorer
Morten Andersen, cyclists
Bjarne Riis,
Rolf Sørensen, and
Michael Rasmussen,
badminton-player
Peter Gade, and
football players
Michael and
Brian Laudrup and
Peter Schmeichel.
Denmark is also the home and birthplace of current WBA & WBC Supermiddleweight boxing champion, Mikkel Kessler.
Danish food
Main articles: Cuisine of Denmark
The
cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden), as well as that of northern Germany, its neighbour 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.
Open sandwich: Fried plaice with remoulade and lemon on dark rye bread
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 is slightly less popular nowadays in Denmark. Fish is also widely eaten, especially on the west coast of
Jutland. A traditionally favorite
condiment,
remoulade, is eaten with
french fries, on fried
plaice, on
salami or
roast beef sandwiches. Smoked fish dishes (
herring,
mackerel,
eel) from local
smoking houses or ''røgerier'', especially on the island of
Bornholm, are increasingly popular.
One of the most interesting aspects of Danish food is the wide variety of attractive open
rugbrød (Rye-bread) sandwiches or
smørrebrød traditionally served for the mid-day meal or ''frokost''. This usually starts with fish such as marinated
herring, smoked
eel or hot fried breaded plaice. Then come meat sandwiches such as cold roast beef with
remoulade and fried onions, roast pork and
crackling with
red cabbage, hot
veal medallions, Danish meat balls (''
frikadeller'') or
liver paté with bacon and mushrooms. Some typically Danish items are ''Sol over
Gudhjem'', literally 'sun over Gudhjem', consisting of smoked herring, chives and with raw egg yolk (the "sun") on top; or ''Dyrlægens natmad'', 'vet's late-night bite', with
liver paté, saltkød (corned veal), onions and jellied
consommé. Finally cheese is served with radishes, nuts or grapes.
Lager beer accompanied by small glasses of ''snaps'' or
aquavit are the preferred drinks for a Danish frokost.
Military
Main articles: Military of Denmark,
Military history of Denmark
The
armed forces of Denmark are known as the Danish Defence 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.
The Danish army has 350-400 soldiers in each of
Kosovo and
Afghanistan. Between 2003 and 2007 there were approx. 450 soldiers in
Iraq.
[28] Seven Danish soldiers were killed during the deployment in Iraq, which at the end of July, 2007 saw the force reduced to a fleet of support helicopters.
[29]
See also
★
StatBank - Denmark's national statistical database
★
List of cities in Denmark by population
Footnotes
1. Michaelsen (2002), p. 19.
2. Denmark: History, Prehistory
3. Busck and Poulsen (ed.) (2002), p. 20.
4. The Origin and Deeds of the Goths, chapter III Jordanes
5. Busck and Poulsen (ed.) (2002), p. 19.
6. Kalmarkriget 1611-1613
7. Radikale ved historisk skillevej
8. Landet i tal - Største øer
9. Danmarks nye top, , Jørgen, Dahlgaard, Aktuel Naturvidenskab,
10. Nationalencyklopedin,(1990)
11. Klimanormaler for Danmark
12. Climate
13. Copenhagen, Denmark - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year
14. Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Sankthansaften''
15. Christiansø betaler ikke sundhedsbidrag Jonas Michael Kjær
16. Workers and bosses: Friends or foes? Thomas Fuller
17. Ledigheden falder fortsat
18. Arbejdsmarkedet på Sjælland og øerne i 2015, , Bjarne, Madsen, Akf forlaget, 2006,
19. Statistikbanken.dk, tables AB513+ BESK11+12+13.
20. Nyt%20fra%20Danmarks%20Statistik:%C2%A0Nr.%20214,%208.%16maj%202007&ancestor=Gratis%20statistik&file=/asp2xml/PUK/udgivelser/get_file.asp?id=8062&show=pdf Definitions: Immigrants are persons, born in foreign countries, whose parents were not Danish citizens and additionally were not born in Denmark. Descendants are persons, born in Denmark, whose parents were neither Danish citizens nor born in Denmark. Everybody else is Danish, including children of immigrants who have acquired Danish citizenship.
21. Danes' Anti-Immigrant Backlash Marks Radical Shift .
22. http://www.nyidanmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/01D113D6-EA0D-4DB6-B2F9-DA47A6706EFF/0/tal_og_fakta_2006.pdf
23. Denmark
24. Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik
25. Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik
26. www.scandinavica.com/culture/education/hojskole.htm
27. Copenhagen Walking Tours
28. http://vcreporter.com/article.php?id=4366&IssueNum=113
29. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/danish-helicopter-unit-heads-for-iraq/n20070727095209990004
References
★ Busck, Steen and Poulsen, Henning (ed.), "Danmarks historie - i grundtræk", Aarhus Universitetsforlag, 2002, ISBN 87-7288-941-1
★ Michaelsen, Karsten Kjer, "Politikens bog om Danmarks oldtid", Politikens Forlag (1. bogklubudgave), 2002, ISBN 87-00-69328-6
★ Nationalencyklopedin, vol. 4, Bokförlaget Bra Böcker, 2000, ISBN 91-7024-619-X
External links
★
Official Portal of Denmark
★
Encyclopaedia Britannica's Denmark country page
★
Google news 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)
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