Map of Denmark | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power Denmark has evolved into a modern prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. However the country has opted out of European Union's Maastricht Treaty the European monetary system (EMU) and issues concerning certain internal affairs.


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Location: Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N 10 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 43,094 km²
Water: 700 km²
Note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Land: 42,394 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Land boundaries
Total: 68 km
Border countries: (1) Germany 68 km

Coastline: 7,314 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild windy winters and cool summers

Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
Extremes highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas fish salt limestone stone gravel and sand

Land use
Arable land: 55.74%
Permanent crops: 0.19%
Other: 44.07% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,760 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g. parts of Jutland along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Geography
Note: controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen


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Population: 5,368,854 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.29% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Dane
Adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups: Scandinavian Inuit Faroese German Turkish Iranian Somali

Languages
Note: English is the predominant second language

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 95% other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3% Muslim 2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.7% (male 514,589; female 488,121)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 1,806,722; female 1,760,149)
65 years and over: 14.9% (male 334,599; female 464,674) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.29% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 11.74 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 10.81 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.01 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.97 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.91 years
Female: 79.67 years (2002 est.)
Male: 74.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.17% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 4,300 (1999 est.)
Deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
Conventional short form: Denmark
Local short form: Danmark
Local long form: Kongeriget Danmark

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Copenhagen

Administrative divisions
Note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and are self-governing overseas administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence: first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy

National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day 5 June is generally viewed as the National Day

Constitution: 1849 was the original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5 June 1953 allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968)
Head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by Parliament
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 20 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2005)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party 56, Social Democrats 52, Danish People's Party 22, Conservative Party 16, Socialist People's Party 12, Social Liberal Party 9, Christian People's Party 4, Unity List 4; note - does not include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Political parties and leaders: Center Democratic Party [Mimi JAKOBSEN]; Christian People's Party [Jann SJURSEN]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Social Democratic Party [Mogens LYKKETOFT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED leader; Johannes LEBECH chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Holger K. NIELSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party Communist Party of Denmark Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]

International organization participation: AfDB 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 Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MONUC NATO NC NEA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE PCA UN UNAMSIL 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 us chief of mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-1470
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-4,300
In the us chancery: 3,200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Stuart BERNSTEIN
From the us embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2,100 Copenhagen
From the us mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 9,716
From the us telephone: [45] 35 55 31 44
From the us fax: [45] 35 43 02 23

Flag description: red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland Iceland Norway and Sweden

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting and even exceeding the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Monetary Union (EMU) but Denmark has decided not to join the 12 other EU members in the euro; even so the Danish Krone remains pegged to the euro. Given the sluggish state of the world economy growth in 2003 likely will be only moderately higher than in 2002.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1.8% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $29,000 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3%
Industry: 26%
Services: 71% (2002 est.)

Agriculture products: barley wheat potatoes sugar beets; pork dairy products; fish

Industries: food processing machinery and equipment textiles and clothing chemical products electronics construction furniture and other wood products shipbuilding windmills

Industrial production growth rate: 1.4% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 2.856 million (2000 est.)
By occupation services: 79%
By occupation industry: 17%
By occupation agriculture: 4% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.1% (2002)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2%
Highest 10: 24% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index: 25 (1992)

Budget
Revenues: $52.9 billion
Expenditures: $51.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2001 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2002 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $56.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and instruments meat and meat products dairy products fish chemicals furniture ships windmills
Partners: EU 64.7% (Germany 19.6% Sweden 11.8% UK 9.5% France 5.1% Netherlands 4.5%) US 6.9% Norway 5.5% (2001)

Imports: $47.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment raw materials and semimanufactures for industry chemicals grain and foodstuffs consumer goods
Partners: EU 69.9% (Germany 21.9% Sweden 12.1% UK 7.5% Netherlands 7.1% France 5.7% Italy 4.5%) US 4.2% (2001)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $21.7 billion (2000)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 8.418 (January 2002) 8.323 (2001) 8.083 (2000) 6.976 (1999) 6.701 (1998) 6.604 (1997); note - the Danes rejected the euro in a 28 September 2000 referendum


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Electricity
Production: 35.792 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 84%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 16% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 33.925 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 7.679 billion kWh (2000)
Imports: 8.318 billion kWh (2000)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 4.785 million (1997)
Mobile cellular: 1,444,016 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
Domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems
International: 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Canada; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .dk
Service providers isps: 13 (2000)
Users: 3.37 million (2002)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $2.47 billion (FY99/00)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (FY99/00)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 116 (2001)
With paved runways total: 28
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 76
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 71 (2002)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 110 km; petroleum products 578 km; natural gas 700 km

Railways
Total: 2,859 km (508 km privately owned and operated)
Standard gauge: 2,859 km 1.435-m gauge (600 km electrified; 760 km double-track) (1998 est.)

Roadways

Waterways: 417 km

Merchant marine
Total: 301 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,258,959 GRT/8,143,520 DWT
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Greenland 1, Indonesia 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)
Ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 105, chemical tanker 26, container 72, liquefied gas 20, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 25, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 16, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 3

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark Iceland and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area); dispute with Iceland over the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM; disputes with Iceland the UK and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM; Faroese are considering proposals for full independence

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs