The Kingdom of Denmark

Kingdom of Denmark Motto: (Royal) "Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke" "God's Help, the People's Love, Denmark's Strength"

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Main facts about Denmark Head of the State Kingdom of Denmark Greenland and Faroe Islands History Geography Climate Administrative divisions The Danish model The personality of the Danes Politics Capital Copenhagen Famous Danes Typical for Denmark Sources

Kingdom of Denmark

Main facts about Denmark •

Denmark is based in Northern Europe and is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries

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The Kingdom of Denmark also has 2 autonomous provinces – the Faroe Islands and Greenland

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The latter is over 500 times larger than Denmark but has 100 times less people

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Denmark is well known for its strong welfare state, mixed market capitalist economy and has one of the most egalitarian societies in the world

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Denmark has the second oldest monarchy in the World

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In 2010 it was voted yet again the happiest country in the world

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According to legend, the Dannebrog fell from heaven during a battle in Estonia

Main facts about Denmark • Population: 5.564,219 (2011) • Area: 43.098 square kilometres • Population density: 126,4 pr. square kilometre • Geographic region: Scandinavia • Gross domestic product: DKK 1.658 billion (2009) • GDP pr. inhabitant: 300.241 DKK (2009) • Capital: Copenhagen 1.702.388 (2011)

Main facts about Denmark •

Other major cities: Århus 311.235, Odense 190.448, Aalborg 199.437 (2011)

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Form of state: Monarchy / Unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

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Government: Coalition of the Liberals and the Conservatives, headed by the Liberals

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Head of state: Queen Margrethe II (since 14 January 1972)

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Head of government: Lars Løkke Rasmussen (since 5. April 2009)

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Ethnic distribution: 4.996.980 Danes. Immigrants and their descendants constitute 567.932 (2011)

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Life expectancy: Women 81,2 years, men 77,1 (2011)

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Language: Danish

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Religion: 90% Protestant

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Currency: Danish Kroner, DKK. 1 Krone = 100 Øre (5,3 DKK = 1 USD, 2011)

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Member of: UN, OECD, EU, Nato, Schengen, OSCE, IMF, WTO and others

Head of the State

Queen: Margrethe II

Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark

Prime Minister: Lars Lokke Rasmussen

Kingdom of Denmark • Kingdom of Denmark= Denmark+ Greenland+ Faroe Islands

Greenland and Faroe Islands • The Faroes comprises of 18 islands, separated by narrow sounds and fiords, located in the northern Atlantic, almost midway between Norway, Iceland and Scotland • The capital is called Tórshavn and the total land mass is 1,399 square kilometres • Greenland is part of the North American continent • It is the world’s largest island • Greenland and the Faroe Islands have been a part of Denmark since the 1700's

History: The Vikinger •

The first certain proofs of human habitation date from around 12,500 BC

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The Danes attracted international attention in the Viking Age from the late 8th to the mid 11th century

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They were skilful shipwrights with a love of adventure

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Viking explorers Iceland in the 9th century, on their way from the Faroe Islands

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From there, Greenland and Newfoundland

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The Vikings acted as merchants, but equally often as marauders and invaders

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For a short time in the 11th century, Denmark subjugated England

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From the 14th century, Denmark alsoruled over Norway and parts of Sweden.

History • As a result of ill fortunes of war, arrogance and poor choice of allies, Denmark’s territory and population were heavily reduced over the period until 1658 • After the last major war, the Second Schleswig War in 1864, the Danish territory was reduced by a third when Schleswig and Holstein were ceded to Germany • Movement in Denmark with the motto “What is lost externally shall be regained internally” • North-Schleswig returned to Denmark following a plebiscite in 1920

History: Schleswig-Holstein • 1460 Schleswig-Holstein knights chose King Christian I of Oldenburg as the sovereign (King of Denmark) • The Danish dominance existed until 1864 • many wars with Denmark for example the German-Danish war in April 1864 • 1920 referendum on the territories.

Today's national borders were established

History: 1940-1945 • During the Second World War, Denmark was occupied by Germany in 1940-1945 • The Danish government led by the Social Democrat Thorvald Stauning chose to collaborate with the occupying power • Denmark was the German-occupied country where the smallest number of Jews died: helped by, among others, the resistance movement, most of Denmark’s Jewish population managed to escape to the neutral Sweden

Geography •

Denmark shares a border of 68 kilometres with Germany to the south and is otherwise surrounded by 7,314 kilometres of tidal shoreline

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Since 2000 Denmark has been connected by the Øresund Bridge to southern Sweden Denmark's northernmost point is Skagens point

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Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) and 443 named islands

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the Great Belt Bridge connects Funen with Zealand

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the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen

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The country is flat with little elevation; having an average height above sea level of 31 metres

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The highest natural point is Møllehøj, at 170.86 metres

Climate • 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 a mean temperature in August of 15.7 °C • Denmark has an average of 121 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of 712 mm per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest

Administrative divisions Country Denmark

Population

Area (km²)

Density (pop per km²)

5,557,709

43,098

129

Faroe Islands

48,797

1,399

35

Greenland

57,564

2,175,600

0.026

Kingdom of Denmark5,664,070

2,220,097

2.6

The Danish model •

Denmark is often called the Welfare State Denmark

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With the taxes as a tool, an equalisation of income is achieved so that everyone has the necessary material framework for living a reasonable life

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The model means that a third of the taxes is paid back to the citizens as transfer income and that the public sector is so large that it accounts for 35.4%

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The tax burden in Denmark, is around 48.9% and thus one of the highest in the world

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But  The people notice that they are getting something for their money

The personality of the Danes • Common to all Danes is their tendency to take the ups and downs of life with a touch of irony, often self-irony • tend to say the opposite of what they think, in keeping with the nature of irony • Freedom of speech and Danish humour in its crudest form collided with the Muslim world, when a cartoonist in September 2005 depicted the prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban in a Danish paper, thereby offending many Muslims all over the world

Politics •

Until 1953, Denmark had a bicameral system

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The voting age is 18

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The election period is four years, but the Prime Minister may call an election at any time

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Since 1909, no party has had an absolute majority

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At the general election in November 2001, the parliamentary majority shifted towards centre-right, in February 2005 and November 2007, this constellation was given a clear mandate to continue

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Denmark is introducing after more than ten years again "permanent border controls" on the border with Germany and Sweden

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Reasons for the reintroduced with the aim of the entry of criminals from other European countries as well as slowing of refugees

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“I like good friends with my neighbors, but it should still be a hedge between us”, explained Pia Kjærsgaard, the party chairman

Politics

Baltic tunnel: an opportunity for the North?

• An 18-kilometre long tunnel under the Baltic Sea • The two countries have for years discussed establishing fixed road- and rail link across the Fehmarn Belt • cost 5.1 billion euros and reduce travel times between Scandinavia and mainland Europe • The project is envisaged to be completed in 2020 • Denmark was set to carry most of the costs

Baltic tunnel: an opportunity for the North

Capital Copenhagen •

The capital and largest city of Denmark

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Population of 1,199,224

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Copenhagen is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager

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Copenhagen is a major regional centre of culture, business, media, and science

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Copenhagen has repeatedly been recognized as one of the cities with the best quality of life

Famous Danes •

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO (2009), former Prime Minister

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Bjarne Riis, cyclist

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Brian Laudrup, Footballer

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Hans Christian Andersen, Storyteller

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Niels Bohr, Physicist

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Nordic god Odin

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Søren Kierkegård existential philosopher and theologian

Typical for Denmark • Hot Dog

• Blonde people

Sources •

http://www.denmark.dk/en/

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http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/business/news/article_1616273.php/Danish-politicians-favour-Baltic-Sea-tunne

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http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A4nemark

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http://www.studyindenmark.dk/

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https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/da.html

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http://www.denmark.net/denmark-guide/danish-culture.html

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http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Denmark:_Primary_Documents

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http://statistikbanken.dk/statbank5a/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?Maintable=HISB3&PLanguage=1

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http://copenhagenet.dk/CPH-Denmark.htm

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http://www.denmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/916BAEE6-AFB8-4720-B118-03366AB1154A/0/DenmarkOverview.pdf

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