Background: 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. So far, however, they have opted out of some aspects of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty.

Area
Total: 43,070 km²
Land: 42,370 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Massachusetts
Comparative note: Includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland

Land boundaries: Total 68 km, Germany 68 km

Coastline: 3,379 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 4 nm
Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the 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
Lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
Highest point: Ejer Bavnehøj 173 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 61%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 6%
Forests and woodland: 12%
Other: 21%

Irrigated land: 4,300 km² (1989 est.)

Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Dane(s)
Adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German

Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small minority)

Religions:

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Environment
Current issues: air pollution, principally from vehicle emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes
Current issues 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
International agreements: party to_Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified_Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
International agreements note: Controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen

Sex ratio: at birth:1.06 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
All ages:

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.3 years (1996 est.), 76.11 years (1995 est.)
Male: 73.78 years (1996 est.), 73.23 years (1995 est.)
Female: 81.01 years (1996 est.), 79.16 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1980 est.)
Total population: 99%

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: Copenhagen

Administrative divisions: Metropolitan Denmark_14 counties (amter, singular_amt) and 1 city* (stad); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kbenhavn, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkbing, Roskilde, Snderjylland, Staden Kbenhavn*, Storstrm, 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

Independence: 1849 (became a constitutional monarchy)

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since NA January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26 May 1968)
Head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since NA January 1993; reelected 11 March 1998)
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: Unicameral Parliament (Folketing):Elections last held 11 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002; results_Social Democrats 35.9%, Liberals 24%, Conservatives 8.9%, Social People's Party 7.5%, People's Party 7.4%, Center Democrats 4.3%, Radical Liberals 3.9%, Unity Party 2.7%, Christian People's Party 2.5%, Progress Party 2.4%; seats_(179 total) Social Democrats 63, Liberals 42, Conservatives 16, Social People's Party 13, People's Party 13, Center Democrats 8, Radical Liberals 7, Unity Party 5, Christian People's Party 4, Progress Party 4; furthermore 2 seats are reserved for Faroe Islands and 2 for Greenland representatives

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Flag description: Re.htmh 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

Economy overview: This thoroughly modern economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is self-sufficient in food production. The new center-left coalition government will concentrate on reducing the persistently high unemployment rate and the budget deficit as well as following the previous government's policies of maintaining low inflation and a current account surplus. In the face of recent international market pressure on the Danish krone, the coalition has also vowed to maintain a stable currency. The coalition hopes to lower marginal income taxes while maintaining overall tax revenues; boost industrial competitiveness through labor market and tax reforms and increased research and development funds; and improve welfare services for the neediest while cutting paperwork and delays. Prime Minister RASMUSSEN's reforms will focus on adapting Denmark to the criteria for European integration by 1999; Copenhagen has won from the European Union (EU) the right to opt out of the European Monetary Union (EMU) if a national referendum rejects it. Denmark is, in fact, one of the few EU countries likely to fit into the EMU on time. Denmark is weathering the current worldwide slump better than many West European countries. Although unemployment is high, it remains stable compared to most European countries.

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Agriculture products: Accounts for 4% of GDP; principal products_meat, dairy, grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets, fish

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate -2.5% (1993 est.)

Labor force: 2,553,900
By occupation private services: 37.1%
By occupation government services: 30.4%
By occupation manufacturing and mining: 20%
By occupation construction: 6.3%
By occupation forestry and fishing: 5.6%
By occupation electricity-gas-water: 0.6% (1991)

Unemployment rate:

Budget
Revenues: $56.5 billion
Expenditures: $64.4 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1994 est.)

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Exports: total value. $39.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports: total value:$34 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
Commodities:
Partners:

Debt external: $40.9 billion (1994 est.)

Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1_5.652 (January 1996), 5.602 (1995), 6.361 (1994), 6.484 (1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990)

Electricity
Capacity: 10,030,000 kW
Production: 32 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 5,835 kWh (1993)

Telephone system: 4,005 million telephones (1985 est.); excellent telephone and telegraph services; buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay support trunk network
Local: NA
Intercity: microwave radio relay
International: 19 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations_7 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions); note_Denmark shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.2 billion, 1.8% of GDP (1995), $2.7 billion, 1.9% of GDP (1994)

Airports
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 6 (1995 est.)
With paved runways under 914 m: 77

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

Waterways: 417 km

Merchant marine
Total: 109
Ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 114, chemical tanker 25, container 65, liquefied gas tanker 27, livestock carrier 5, oil tanker 31, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 17, roll-on/roll-off cargo 26, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 1
Note: Denmark has created its own internal register, called the Danish International Ship register (DIS); DIS ships do not have to meet Danish manning regulations, and they amount to a flag of convenience within the Danish register (1995 est.) Airports: