![[Country map of Denmark]](da.gif)
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 43,070 sq km
land area: 42,370 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Massachusetts
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
International disputes: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Iceland, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 61%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 12%
other: 21%
Irrigated land: 4,300 sq km (1989 est.)
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
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
Note: controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen
Population: 5,199,437 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (female 430,598; male 451,993)
15-64 years: 68% (female 1,731,531; male 1,780,083)
65 years and over: 15% (female 473,537; male 331,695) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.22% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.38 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 11.14 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.11 years
male: 73.23 years
female: 79.16 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Dane(s)
adjective: Danish
Ethnic divisions: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%, other 7% (1988)
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small minority)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%
Labor force: 2,553,900
by occupation: private services 37.1%, government services 30.4%, manufacturing and
mining 20%, construction 6.3%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.6%,
electricity/gas/water 0.6% (1991)
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark
local short form: Danmark
Digraph: DA
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)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament (Folketing): elections last held 21 September 1994 (next to be held by December
1998); results - Social Democrats 34.6%, Liberals 23.3%, Conservatives 15.0%,
Social People's Party 7.3%, Progress Party 6.4%, Radical Liberals 4.6%,
Unity Party 3.1%, Center Democrats 2.8%, Christian People's Party 1.8%; seats
- (179 total) Social Democrats 63, Liberals 44, Conservatives 28, Social
People's Party 13, Progress Party 11, Radical Liberals 8, Unity Party 6,
Center Democrats 5, independent 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party, Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN; Conservative Party, Hans ENGELL; Liberal Party, Uffe ELLEMANN-JENSEN; Socialist People's Party, Holger K. NIELSEN; Progress Party, Group Chairman Kim BEHNKE and Policy Spokesman Jan Kopke CHRISTENSEN; Center Democratic Party, Mimi Stilling JAKOBSEN; Radical Liberal Party, Marianne JELVED; Christian People's Party, Jann SJURSEN; Common Course, Preben Moller HANSEN; Danish Workers' Party; Unity Party
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Pedersen DYVIG (Knud-Erik TYGESEN is Ambassador Elect
for 1995)
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward E. ELSON
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen O
mailing address: APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] (31) 42 31 44
FAX: [45] (35) 43 02 23
Flag: 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 the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
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 persistent 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; although 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. After posting 4.5% real GDP growth in 1994, Copenhagen is predicting a continued strong showing in 1995, with real GDP up by 3.2%. The government expects an upswing in business investment in 1995 to drive economic growth. Although unemployment is high, it remains stable compared to most European countries.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $103 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $19,860 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12.3% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $56.5 billion
expenditures: $64.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports: $42.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: meat and meat products, dairy products, transport equipment (shipbuilding),
fish, chemicals, industrial machinery
partners: EC 54.3% (Germany 23.6%, UK 10.1%, France 5.7%), Sweden 10.5%, Norway
5.8%, US 4.9%, Japan 3.6% (1992)
Imports: $37.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs,
textiles, paper
partners: EC 53.4% (Germany 23.1%, UK 8.2%, France 5.6%), Sweden 10.8%, Norway
5.4%, US 5.7%, Japan 4.1% (1992)
External debt: $40.9 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -2.5% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 10,030,000 kW
production: 32 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 5,835 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other wood products, shipbuilding
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; principal products - meat, dairy, grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets, fish
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.9 billion
Currency: 1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 6.034 (January 1995), 6.361 (1994), 6.484 (1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Railroads:
total: 2,838 km (494 km privately owned and operated)
standard gauge: 2,838 km 1.435-m gauge (440 km electrified; 760 km double track) (1994)
Highways:
total: 71,042 km
paved: concrete, asphalt, stone block 71,042 km (696 km of expressways)
Inland waterways: 417 km
Pipelines: crude oil 110 km; petroleum products 578 km; natural gas 700 km
Ports: Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Grenaa, Koge, Odense, Struer
Merchant marine:
total: 345 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,005,470 GRT/6,974,750 DWT
ships by type: bulk 17, cargo 109, chemical tanker 24, combination bulk 1, container
61, liquefied gas tanker 32, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 32, railcar
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 35, short-sea passenger
11
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
Airports:
total: 118
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 13
with paved runways under 914 m: 85
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7
Telephone system: 4,509,000 telephones; 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; 7 INTELSAT, EUTELSAT, and INMARSAT earth
stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 50
televisions: NA
Branches: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,347,774; males fit for military service 1,158,223; males reach military age (20) annually 36,191 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.7 billion, 1.9% of GDP (1994)