top of pageBackground: Once the seat of rapacious Viking raiders and later a major power in northwestern Europe, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the political and economic integration of Europe.
Geographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries: 68 km with FRG
Coastline: 3,379 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 4 nm
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
ElevationNatural resources: crude oil, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone
Land use: 61% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 12% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 9% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
top of pagePopulation: 5,129,659 (July 1989), growth rate 0.1% (1989)
Nationality: noun - Dane(s; adjective - Danish
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect; small German-speaking minority
Religions: 97% Evangelical Lutheran, 2% other Protestant and Roman Catholic, 1% other
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 11 births/1000 population (1989)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1000 population (1989)
Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1000 population (1989)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: air and water pollution
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1000 live births (1989)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1989)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1989)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHivaidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 99%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Copenhagen
Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 1 city* (stad; Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Staden Kobenhavn*, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjaelland, Viborg; note - see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland which are part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative divisions
Dependent areasIndependence: became a constitutional monarchy in 1849
National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Constitution: 5 June 1953
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal over age 21
Executive branch: Chief of State - Queen MARGRETHE II (since January 1972; Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26 May 1968; Head of Government - Prime Minister Poul SCHLUTER (since 10 September 1982)
Legislative branch: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force
Judicial branchPolitical parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB, Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, NATO, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Ambassador Eigil JORGENSEN; Chancery at 3,200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 234-4,300; there are Danish Consulates General at Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York; US - Ambassador Keith L. BROWN; Embassy at Dag Hammarskjold Alle 24, 2,100 Copenhagen O (mailing address is APO New York 9,170; telephone Õ45å (1) 42 31 44
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 all other Scandinavian countries
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The highly diversified economy is heavily dependent on foreign trade (including services), which accounts for 40% of GDP. Over the past 30 years manufacturing has gradually replaced agriculture as the most important sector. In 1987 about 60% of total exports came from manufactured products compared to 30% from agriculture.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: highly intensive, specializes in dairying and animal husbandry; main crops - cereals, root crops; food imports - oilseed, grain, animal feedstuffs
Industries: food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other wood products
Industrial production growth rate: - 2.4% (1987)
Labor force:
2,860,000; 31.3%
services, 26.4% government, 18.4% manufacturing, 6.1% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 5.8% construction (1987)
Unemployment rate: 8.9% (1988)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $34 billion; expenditures $34 billion, including capital expenditures of $19 billion (1988)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $25.6 billion (f.o.b., 1987)
Commodities: meat and meat products, dairy products, transport equipment, fish, chemicals, industrial machinery
Partners: US 6.9%, FRG, Norway, Sweden, UK, other EC, Japan
Imports: $25.5 billion (c.i.f., 1987)
Commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, textiles, paper
Partners: US 5.3%, FRG, Netherlands, Sweden, UK, other EC
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $19.0 billion (December 1988 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 7.085 (January 1989), 6.732 (1988), 6.840 (1987), 8.091 (1986), 10.596 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 11,123,000 kW capacity; 30,011 million kWh produced, 5,860 kWh per capita (1988)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $2.352 billion, 7.3% of central government budget (1988 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 130 total, 114 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; 9 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: crude oil, 110 km; refined products, 578 km; natural gas, 700 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 417 km
Merchant marine: 223 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,123,748 GRT/6,248,626 DWT; includes 11 short-sea passenger, 71 cargo, 12 refrigerated cargo, 25 container, 38 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 34 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 3 livestock carrier, 9 bulk
Ports and terminalsDenmark - Transnational issues 1989
top of pageDisputes international: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Iceland, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs 
