Area
 Denmark
is a country in North-western Europe, 56º N Latitude
and 10º E Longitude, with land boundary with
Germany. The area is 43,069 km2, excluding the self-governing
Faeroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic.
The terrain is low and flat with some gentle rolling
hills. The highest point is Yding Skovhøj,
173 m. The climate is temperate with an average temperature
of about 16º C in the summer and 0º C in
the winter. The average annual rainfall is 610 mm.
Most of the country is arable and under cultivation.
The capital is Copenhagen (København).
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Population
The population is around 5.3 million. Sixty-seven percent
are between 15-64 years old and 85% of the people live
in urban areas. Danish is the official language. Many
Danes speak English. The established religion is Lutheranism.
Elementary education has been compulsory since 1814.
Several universities offer programmes leading to advanced
degrees. |
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Government
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. The present
constitution dates back to 1849 and was last amended
on 5th June 1953. The head of state is H. M. Queen
Margrethe II, the head of the government is Prime
Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Liberal Party). The
legislative power lies with the parliament (Folketinget).
The parliament has 179 members from 11 parties in
one house. Of the 179 members of parliament, 175 are
elected in Denmark, while Greenland and the Faeroe
Islands each elect 2 representatives. The voting age
has been 18 since 1978. Election is held every fourth
year. The last election was held on 20th November
2001. The Supreme Court heads the judicial branch
and judges are appointed by the Queen.
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Economy
The Danish economy is based on up-to-date small-scale
and corporate industry as well as modern high technology
agriculture. Denmark is characterized by extensive government
welfare measures, comfortable living standards and a
high foreign trade. In 2000, the GNP per capita was
30,431 USD. The GNP is made up of agriculture 2.6%,
industry 25.5% and service 71.9%. The total GDP was
162.2 billion USD. Exports were 50.6 billion USD and
imports 45.5 billion USD. |
History
 In
spite of a small territory and population, Denmark
has played a notable role in the history of Europe.
The Danes and other Scandinavians - as Vikings - undertook
marauding, trading and colonizing expeditions in the
8th century and conquered England in 1003. In the
later centuries, Denmark established trading alliances
throughout Northern and Western Europe and beyond,
including East Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Denmark
remained neutral in World War I, but was invaded by
Nazi Germany in World War II. Denmark is a member
of the EU, NATO, UN and many other international organizations.
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You can find more information
on
Denmark's official web site -
Work in Denmark -
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Denmark
Denmark, a publication by The Royal Danish Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the editors
of the Danish National Encyclopedia, gives an in-depth
description of Denmark. The chapters in Denmark are
written by leading Danish experts. The internet version
was updated in November 1999 and is based on the printed
book, "Denmark" which was published in 1996.
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