The following is an excerpt from the country profile provided by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Full Country Name: The Kingdom of Denmark
Area: 42,930 sq km (2,210,415 sq km including Greenland and Faroes)
Population: 5.4 million
Capital City: Copenhagen
People: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, non-EU immigrants (c 4.5%).
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), some German. English is the predominant second language.
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran (about 97%).
Currency: Danish Krone (DKr)
Political Parties Represented in Parliament: Liberals; Social Democrats; Danish People's Party ; Conservatives; Social Liberals; Socialist People's Party; Red/Green Alliance.
Head of State: Queen Margrethe II
Prime Minister: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Foreign Minister: Per Stig Moeller
Membership of international groups/organisations: United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Nordic Council, World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe (CoE), Council of the Baltic Sea States, Antarctic Treaty.
GEOGRAPHY
Cities: Copenhagen (population 1.08 million in Greater Copenhagen). Other cities - Aarhus (218,000), Odense (144,000), Aalborg (119,000), Esbjerg (73,000).
Terrain: Low and flat or slightly rolling; highest elevation is 173m (568ft).
Climate: Temperate, with an average of 7.7 degrees centigrade. January and February are the coldest months, average temperature 0 degrees centigrade, and August the warmest at plus 15.7 degrees centigrade.
HISTORY
Recent History
Denmark's role in the European Union (EU) has been a key domestic political issue since the mid 1980's with hostility towards the EU in some quarters. On 2 June 1992 a majority of less than 2% voted against Denmark ratifying the Maastricht Treaty of the European Union. After a second referendum on the Treaty on 18 May 1993) Denmark emerged with four important exemptions (or 'opt-outs') to the Maastricht Treaty on the European Union: common defence, common currency, EU citizenship, and certain aspects of legal co-operation including law enforcement. Since then, overall public perceptions of the EU have gradually become more positive, with the Eurosceptic fringe gradually losing influence. The Danish Government planned to hold a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty in September 2005,. However, this was postponed indefinitely following the French and Dutch no votes.
Longer Historical Perspective
Denmark was unified under a Christian monarch in the 10th century AD. The Viking era (840-1100) included periods of rule over England. Canute's reign united the kingdoms of Norway and England under the Danish Crown in the 11th century. In 1380 Denmark and Norway entered a union that was to last 400 years. In 1397 Sweden joined them in the Kalmar Union but broke away in 1523. The Peace of Copenhagen in 1660 ended Danish conflict with Sweden, which had come the dominant Baltic power. In 1665 the Danish monarchy was made hereditary and autocratic. In the 18th century trade and commerce thrived in the peaceful conditions which followed Sweden's defeat by the alliance of European powers. The latter half of the century was a period of reform and growing Danish nationalism. In 1801 the British navy destroyed the Danish fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen. From 1807-1814 Denmark was allied with France against Britain in the Napoleonic Wars. The Treaty of Kiel 1814 ended Denmark's union with Norway by forced cession to Sweden.
In 1849 Denmark adopted its first liberal constitution. War with Austria and Prussia in 1864 ended Denmark's disputed rule of Schleswig-Holstein. 1872 saw the emergence of political parties: Venstre and Hojre, representing the political Left and Right. In 1901 (the 'System Change') Denmark established its first representative parliamentary government. During the 1914-18 War Denmark remained neutral although under German pressure laid mines across the Baltic Sound. Iceland received Home Rule in 1918 and in 1920 part of Slesvig was restored to Denmark following a plebiscite. The German/Danish border acquired its present form at that time. A first minority Social Democrat government in 1924 was short-lived. But in 1929 the Social Democrats entered a first stable coalition with the Radicals.
In 1940 Germany occupied neutral Denmark. The King remained in Denmark but refused to form an overtly collaborationist government. In 1944 Iceland declared itself an independent republic. In May 1945 British troops liberated Denmark, four days before VE day. In 1945 Denmark joined the United Nations and, after its experiences under German occupation, NATO in 1949. In 1948 it granted home rule to the Faroe Islands and then to Greenland in 1979. In 1952 Denmark founded the Nordic Council with Iceland, Norway and Sweden, to which Finland acceded in 1955. In 1953 Denmark adopted its present constitution and abolished the Upper House (Landsting). In 1957 it renounced the stationing of nuclear weapons 'in present circumstances' but withheld support for a Nordic Nuclear Weapon Free Zone. In 1959 Denmark became a founder member of EFTA but left to join the EEC in 1973. In 1985 Greenland formally withdrew from the Common Market.
POLITICS
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy: Queen Margrethe II has ruled since 1972. The 179 members of the Parliament (Folketing) are elected by proportional representation with a 2% threshold. Two are elected from the Faroe Islands and two from Greenland. The electoral system usually leads to a large number of parties being represented in Parliament, and to coalition governments.
The Social Democrats have dominated post-war politics, but the right-of-centre parties governed from 1982 until January 1993 and returned to power in the elections of November 2001.
The Faroe Islands and Greenland enjoy home rule, with the Danish Government represented locally by High Commissioners. These home-rule governments are responsible for most domestic affairs, but foreign relations, monetary affairs, and defence fall to the Danish Government. They then retained power in the 2005 elections.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts: GBP 140 billion (2005)
Annual Growth: 2.8% (2005 est), 2.4% (2006 est)
Inflation: 2.0% (2005)
Unemployment: 5.8% (2005)
Government finances:Public Sector finances are estimated to show a surplus of GBP 6.2 billion in 2005 (4.5% of GDP)
Major Industries: Agricultural products, grains, meat and dairy, fish, beer, oil and gas, home electronics, furniture and fashion.
Natural resources: North Sea -- oil and gas, fish. Greenland -- fish, zinc, lead, molybdenum, uranium, gold, platinum. The Faroe Islands -- fish. Petroleum, natural gas, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and sand.
Member of the EU: Yes (they joined at the same time as the UK in 1973).
euro zone participant: No - The Danes rejected the euro in a 28 September 2000 referendum.
The Danish Economy, after a downturn in 2002-2003, is experiencing a sustained upturn and a healthy government surplus. The Ministry of Finance estimates that GDP growth in 2005 was 2.8%, with 2.4% growth predicted for 2006. The government has stated that it aims to maintain its budget surplus at around 2% until 2010 to reduce the national debt from 44% to 26% of GDP. The current government has also made a tax freeze part of its policy Inflation remains low (at 5% in February 2006).
Unemployment is also low, especially when compared to the rest of the Euro area. Domestic consumer confidence and consumption remain high.
Top three export markets from Denmark:
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. UK
Top three suppliers to Denmark:
1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. UK
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Denmark has close relations and historical links with its Nordic neighbours. Denmark co-operates closely with its Nordic neighbours, formally in economic and social matters through the Nordic Council of Ministers and informally in political matters through direct consultation.
Denmark has also been active in international efforts to integrate the countries of Central and Eastern Europe into the West. It played a leadership role in co-ordinating Western assistance to the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) and supporting their accession to the European Union.
Danish foreign policy is founded upon four cornerstones: the United Nations, NATO, the EU, and Nordic co-operation. Denmark also is a member of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund; the World Trade Organisation (WTO); the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the Council of Europe; the Nordic Council; the Baltic Council; and the Barents Council. Denmark emphasises its relations with developing nations and is one of the few countries to exceed the UN goal of contributing 0.7% of GNP as official development assistance.
HEALTH
Infant mortality rate: (2003, est.) - 4.4/1,000.
Life expectancy: men 72 years, women 78 years.
DID YOU KNOW?
Full overview: here
The complete CIA Factbook Entry for Denmark is here
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