Abou_ Denmark

No, Denmark is NOT the capitol of Sweden, nor is it the name of some cheese or pastries !!. Trust me, any Dane will get very upset and really annoyed if you take him for a Swede, Norwegian or even a cheese..

Denmark are the oldest monarchy in the world, today reigned by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II.

Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid, Her Majesty The Queen, became Queen of Denmark in 1972. HM Queen Margrethe II was born on 16 April 1940 at Amalienborg Palace as the daughter of King Frederik IX (d. 1972) and Queen Ingrid, born Princess of Sweden (d. 2000). The Queen’s motto is "God’s help, the love of The People, Denmark’s strength".

Since the Viking Age Denmark has been a kingdom with extensive trade relations to the rest of the world.
The Danish Royal House may be traced back to Gorm the Old and his son Harald I Bluetooth. The latter can be dated and located with certainty as he united Denmark. The two great lines of the Danish Royal House are the House of Oldenborg and the House of Glücksborg. The first representative of the House of Oldenborg became King in 1448, and the last King of the House of Oldenborg was King Frederik VII, as he had no heir to the throne. In 1863, the first representative of the House of Glücksborg became King, and the present Royal Family are direct descendants of this Royal House.

Denmark is a parliamentary democracy with a royal head of state which means that our sovereign are HM the Queen, but the kingdom are governed by our parliament, Folketinget, consisting of political parties and members who are freely chosen by democratic elections with 4 year intervals. The government are headed by a Prime Minister. Any Danish citizen, regardless of political views, religion and standpoints can run for parliament.

The cornerstone of the Danish constitution is Danmarks Riges Grundlov (The Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark) of 5 June 1953. This is the result of developments in constitutional law that began in 1849 with the introduction of a bicameral parliament and with human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.In stipulating that anyone arrested should be brought before a judge within 24 hours, the 1849 Constitution established the right to freedom of the individual; it also ensured the inviolability of one’s dwelling and the right of property. At the same time freedom of expression, freedom to form associations, and freedom of assembly were guaranteed. The Constitution ensured everyone the right to public assistance and free schooling.

The Danish territory includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which both have local governments which are represented and holds seats in Folketinget, the Danish parliament.

Denmark lies between 54° and 58° of latitude north and 8° and 15° of longitude east. In addition to Denmark itself, the kingdom also includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Towards the end of the 10th century, Denmark was united into a single kingdom. It has been an independent country ever since, and is thus one of the oldest states in Europe.

Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland and c. 407 islands, of which c. 78 are inhabited (2003). Of these, the largest and most densely populated are Zealand on which the capital of Copenhagen is situated, Funen, the north Jutland island and the island of Bornholm.

The country has a coastline totalling c. 7,300 km in all and a 68-km-long frontier with Germany. It is a distinctly low-lying country, the highest point being only 173 metres above sea level, but the landscape is undulating and varied; only occasionally is it possible to find undisturbed nature, and the view everywhere shows signs of human activity. Only on the island of Bornholm do we find bedrock, and otherwise the land is characterised by fertile clayish or sandy moraine landscapes.

Denmark has approximately 5,4 million inhabitants - this amounts to roughly 1,4 % of the total EU population.

The population stands at c. 5.398 million, and the population density is c. 125 per square kilometre. Foreign immigrants and their descendants amount to c. 442,000, 230,000 of whom come from Europe; in addition there is a small German minority in southern Jutland. The language is everywhere Danish, and the vast majority of the population has been baptised into the established protestant church. Denmark is therefore nationally and culturally very homogeneous.

85% of the population lives in towns. Greater Copenhagen accounts for c. 1.09 million inhabitants. The second largest city is Aarhus (222,559 inhabitants). In addition the entire country is otherwise covered by a network of medium-sized towns.

Are You planning to visit Denmark, or would You like to know more ?

Go to "About Denmark page 2" !