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. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) European defense cooperation and issues concerning certain justice and home 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 several major islands (Sjaelland Fyn and Bornholm)

Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N 10 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 43,094 km²
Land: 42,434 km²
Water: 660 km²
Note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Rank: 134
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Land boundaries
Total: 140 km
Border countries: (1) Germany 140 km

Coastline: 7,314 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

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: Mollehoj/Ejer Bavnehoj 171 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 63.4%
Forest: 12.9%
Other: 23.7%
Note: highest percentage of arable land: for any country in the world

Irrigated land: 4,354 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 6 km³ (2011)

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: 5,581,503 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 115
Growth rate: 0.22% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 182
Below poverty line: 13.4% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Dane
Adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups: Scandinavian Inuit Faroese German Turkish Iranian Somali

Languages: Danish Faroese Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect) German (small minority)
Note: English is the predominant second language

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran (official) 80% Muslim 4% other (denominations of less than 1% each includes Roman Catholic Jehovah's Witness Serbian Orthodox Christian Jewish Baptist and Buddhist) 16% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 16.77%
15-24 years: 13.11%
25-54 years: 39.03%
55-64 years: 12.41%
65 years and over: 18.68% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55.9%
Youth dependency ratio: 26.3%
Elderly dependency ratio: 29.6%
Potential support ratio: 3.4%

Median age
Total: 41.8 years
Male: 40.9 years
Female: 42.8 years

Population growth rate: 0.22% (2015 est.)
Rank: 182

Birth rate: 10.27 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 191

Death rate: 10.25 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 38

Net migration rate: 2.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 49

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 87.7% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.6% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: COPENHAGEN (capital) 1.268 million (2015)

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-Sulfur 85 Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male/female
55-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 0.97 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.05 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 4.12 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.97 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 191

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.25 years
Male: 76.82 years
Female: 81.81 years
Rank: 47

Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 168

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.49 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 3.5 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.16% (2014 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 102
People living with hivaids: 6,000 (2014 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 108
Deaths: fewer than 100 (2014 est.)
Deaths rank: 123

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 21% (2014)
Rank: 107

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 8.7% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 8

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 19 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 19 years

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Copenhagen
Geographic coordinates: 55 40 N 12 35 E
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Note: applies to continental Denmark only not to its North Atlantic components

Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner singular - region); Hovedstaden (Capital) Midtjylland (Central Jutland) Nordjylland (North Jutland) Sjaelland (Zealand) Syddanmark (Southern Denmark)
Note: an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities into 98 and 13 counties into five regions effective 1 January 2007

Dependent areas

Independence: ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under HARALD I Gormson); 5 June 1849 (became a constitutional monarchy)

National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day

Constitution: previous 1665; latest adopted 5 June 1849; amended several times last in 2009 (2009)

Legal system: civil law; judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II ; Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK elder son of the monarch (born on 26 May 1968)
Head of government: Prime Minister Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT
Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral People's Assembly or Folketing
Elections: last held on 18 June 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - SDP 26.3% DF 21.1% V 19.5% EL 7.8% LA 7.5% AP 4.8% SLP 4.6% SF 4.2% C 3.4% other 0.9%; seats by party - SDP 47 DF 37 V 34 EL 14 LA 13 AP 9 SLP 8 SF 7 C 6; note - does not include the two seats from Greenland and the two seats from the Faroe Islands

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Minister of Justice with the advice of the Judicial Appointments Council a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70
Subordinate courts: Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts

Political parties and leaders: Socialist People's Party or SF [Pia OLSEN DYHR]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Arctic Council Australia Group BIS CBSS CD CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EITI (implementing country) ESA EU FAO FATF G-9 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IGAD (partners) IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSMA NATO NC NEA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA Schengen Convention UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNMISS UNRWA UNTSO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Lars Gert LOSE
In the us chancery: 3,200 Whitehaven Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 234-4,300
In the us FAX: [1] 328-1470
In the us consulate general: Chicago New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rufus GIFFORD
From the us embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24 2,100 Copenhagen 0
From the us mailing address: Unit 5,280 DPO AE 9,716
From the us telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00
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; the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag) and is one of the oldest national flags in the world; traditions as to the origin of the flag design vary but the best known is a legend that the banner fell from the sky during an early-13th century battle; caught up by the Danish king before it ever touched the earth this heavenly talisman inspired the royal army to victory; in actuality the flag may derive from a crusade banner or ensign
Note: the shifted cross design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland Iceland Norway and Sweden

National symbols: lion mute swan; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'Der er et yndigt land' ; 'Kong Christian' (King Christian)
Lyrics and music: Adam Gottlob OEHLENSCHLAGER/Hans Ernst KROYER; Johannes EWALD/unknown
Note: Denmark has two national anthems with equal status; 'Der er et yndigt land' adopted 1844 is a national anthem while 'Kong Christian' adopted 1780 serves as both a national and royal anthem; 'Kong Christian' is also known as 'Kong Christian stod ved hojen mast' and 'Kongesangen' (The King's Anthem); within Denmark the royal anthem is played only when royalty is present and is usually followed by the national anthem; when royalty is not present only the national anthem is performed; outside Denmark the royal anthem is played unless the national anthem is requested

National heritage


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Economy overview: This thoroughly modern market economy features a high-tech agricultural sector state-of-the-art industry with world-leading firms in pharmaceuticals maritime shipping and renewable energy and a high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a member of the European Union (EU); Danish legislation and regulations conform to EU standards on almost all issues. Danes enjoy a high standard of living and the Danish economy is characterized by extensive government welfare measures and an equitable distribution of income. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus but depends on imports of raw materials for the manufacturing sector. Within the EU Denmark is among the strongest supporters of trade liberalization. After a long consumption-driven upswing Denmark's economy began slowing in 2007 with the end of a housing boom. Housing prices dropped markedly in 2008-09 and following a short respite in 2010 have since continued to decline. Household indebtedness is still relatively high at more than 275% of gross disposable income in the first half of 2013. The global financial crisis has exacerbated this cyclical slowdown through increased borrowing costs and lower export demand consumer confidence and investment. Denmark made a modest recovery in 2010 in part because of increased government spending; however the country experienced a technical recession in late 2010-early 2011 and has been slow to emerge from it in 2012-14 . Historically low levels of unemployment rose sharply with the recession and have remained at about 6% in 2010-13 based on the national measure about two-thirds average EU unemployment. An impending decline in the ratio of workers to retirees will be a major long-term issue. Denmark maintained a healthy budget surplus for many years up to 2008 but the budget balance swung into deficit in 2009 where it remains. In spite of the deficits the new coalition government delivered a modest stimulus to the economy in 2012. Despite previously meeting the criteria to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) Denmark has negotiated an opt-out with the EU and is not required to adopt the euro.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 58

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 163

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 30

Gross national saving:
Rank: 47

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 49.3%
Government consumption: 26.9%
Investment in fixed capital: 18.9%
Investment in inventories: 0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 53.7%
Imports of goods and services: -48.9%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.3%
Industry: 21.2%
Services: 77.5%

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

Industries: iron steel nonferrous metals chemicals food processing machinery and transportation equipment textiles and clothing electronics construction furniture and other wood products shipbuilding and refurbishment windmills pharmaceuticals medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate: -1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 176

Labor force: 2.771 million (2014 est.)
Rank: 107
By occupation agriculture: 2.6%
By occupation industry: 20.3%
By occupation services: 77.1%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 53

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 13.4% (2011 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.9%
Highest 10: 28.7%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 137

Budget
Revenues: $192.6 billion
Expenditures: $197.5 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 65

Taxes and other revenues: 55.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 6

Public debt:
Note: data cover general government debt and includes debt instruments issued by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds such as for retirement medical care and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
Rank: 82

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 48

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 135

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 164

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 27

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 42

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 23

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 34

Current account balance:
Rank: 18

Exports:
Rank: 38
Commodities: machinery and instruments meat and meat products dairy products fish pharmaceuticals furniture windmills
Partners: Germany 18.6% Sweden 12.1% UK 8.1% US 6.7% Norway 6.5% Netherlands 4.4% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 35
Commodities: machinery and equipment raw materials and semimanufactures for industry chemicals grain and foodstuffs consumer goods
Partners: Germany 21.3% Sweden 12.8% Netherlands 8% Norway 6.3% China 6.3% UK 4.9% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 28

Debt external:
Rank: 22

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 39

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 21

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 29.85 billion kWh (2012 est.)
Production rank: 64
Consumption: 32.62 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 60
Exports: 10.38 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 20
Imports: 11.46 billion kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 17
Installed generating capacity: 13.51 million kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 49
Generation sources fossil fuels: 61.5% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 130
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 76
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 150
Generation sources other renewable sources: 38.4% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 2

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 178,200 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 39
Crude oil exports: 128,400 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 35
Crude oil imports: 74,680 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 51
Crude oil proven reserves: 805.1 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 43

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 155,700 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products production rank: 63
Products consumption: 154,700 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 63
Products exports: 104,400 bbl/day (2012 est.)
Products exports rank: 44
Products imports: 120,400 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 46

Natural gas
Production: 4.845 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 51
Consumption: 3.721 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 66
Exports: 2.236 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 38
Imports: 1.363 billion m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 55
Proven reserves: 43.01 billion m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 65

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 40.51 million Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 69

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 1.88 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34
Fixed lines rank: 61
Mobile cellular total: 7.1 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 128
Mobile cellular rank: 106

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
Domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network multiple cellular mobile communications systems
International: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine cables link Denmark with Canada Faroe Islands Germany Iceland Netherlands Norway Poland Russia Sweden and UK; satellite earth stations - 18 ); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark Finland Iceland Norway and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik Norway station for worldwide Inmarsat access (2011)

Broadcast media: strong public-sector TV presence with state-owned Danmarks Radio operating 4 channels and publicly owned TV2 operating roughly a half dozen channels; broadcasts of privately owned stations are available via satellite and cable feed; DR operates 4 nationwide FM radio stations 15 digital audio broadcasting stations and about 15 web-based radio stations; approximately 250 commercial and community radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .dk
Users total: 5.4 million
Users percent of population: 96.1%
Users rank: 62

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 71

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 80 (2013)
Rank: 68
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: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With paved runways under 914 m: 2
With unpaved runways total: 52
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways: 47 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines: condensate 11 km; gas 4,377 km; oil 647 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 2,414 km
Standard gauge: 2,414 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 63

Roadways
Total: 73,929 km
Paved: 73,929 km (2012)
Rank: 63

Waterways: 400 km (2010)
Rank: 87

Merchant marine
Total: 367
By type: bulk carrier 4 cargo 48 carrier 1 chemical tanker 125 container 94 liquefied gas 4 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 40 petroleum tanker 36 refrigerated cargo 3 roll on/roll off 8 specialized tanker 3
Foreign owned: 27
Registered in other countries: 582 (2010)
Rank: 27

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Baltic Sea - Aarhus Copenhagen Fredericia Kalundborg; North Sea - Esbjerg
River port: Aalborg
Dry bulk cargo port: Ensted
Cruise port: Copenhagen


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Disputes international: Iceland the UK and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland; Denmark (Greenland) and Norway have made submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) and Russia is collecting additional data to augment its 2001 CLCS submission

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 7,253 (Afghanistan) (2014)
Stateless persons: 4,725

Illicit drugs