THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 42,930 sq km
Population: 5.2 million
Capital City: Copenhagen
People: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese,
German.
Languages: Danish, Faroese,
Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), some
German. English is the predominant
second language.
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran (about
97%).
Currency: Danish Krone (DKr)
Major political parties: Liberals; Social
Democrats; Conservatives; Socialist
People's Party; Danish People's Party;
Centre Democrats; Radical Liberals;
Unity List; Christian Peoples Party;
Independents
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 173 m. (568 ft).
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.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Recent History
From the mid-1980s. Denmark's role in
the European Union (EU) has come to
be a key political issue. In some
quarters hostility grew towards the
EU. This came to ahead on 2 June 1992
when 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 æopt-outsÆ) to the
Maastricht Treaty on the European
Union: common defence, common
currency, EU citizenship, and certain
aspects of legal co-operation including
law enforcement.
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. CanuteÆs 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 become 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
SwedenÆs 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
DenmarkÆs union with Norway by
forced cession to Sweden.
In 1849 Denmark adopted its first
liberal constitution. War with Austria
and Prussia in 1864 ended DenmarkÆs
disputed rule of Schleswig-Holstein.
1872 saw the emergence of political
parties: Venstre and Hojre,
representing the political Left and
Right. In 1901 (the æSystem ChangeÆ)
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 1945 Denmark joined the United
Nations and, in a clear break with
traditional neutrality, NATO in 1949. In
1948 it granted home rule to the Faroe
Islands. In 1951 Denmark entrusted the
defence of Greenland to the United
States (and gave it home rule in 1979).
In 1952 with Iceland, Norway and
Sweden it founded the Nordic Council,
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 æin
present circumstancesÆ but witheld
support for a Nordic Nuclear Weapon
Free Zone of which Finland soon
became the leading advocate. In 1959
Denmark became a founder member of
EFTA. But joined the EEC (following
unsuccessful applications in 1961 and
1967) in 1973. In 1985 Greenland
formally withdrew from the Common
Market.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Basic Economic Facts GDP: US$161
billion (2002)
GDP per head: US$ 30,150 (2002)
Annual Growth: 1.5% (2002)
Inflation: 2.5% (2002)
Unemployment: 5.1% (2002)
Government finances: The Government
presented its 2003 budget proposals on
August 27. DK5.5bn out of the DK429bn
budget was set aside for new
initiatives.
Major Industries: Agricultural products,
grains, meat and dairy, fish, beer, oil
and gas, home electronics and
furniture.
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 û The Danes
rejected the euro in a 28 September
2000 referendum.
Trade Partners UK country profile:
Denmark
Unemployment is at its lowest since
1976. The Government have set
objectives to increase the workforce
to 87,000 by 2010. The government is
aiming to maintain its budget surplus at
around 2% until 2010 with the intention
of reducing the national debt from 44%
to 26% of GDP by that date. The
state-run (but partly commercially
financed) television station, TV2, is to
be sold this year. The government aims
to raise at least DKK 1bn from the sale.
Trade and Investment with the UK
Exports held up well last year, with an
increase of 4.1%. The UK is currently
DenmarkÆs fourth largest supplier
with 7.5% of the market. UK exports to
Denmark in 2002 amounted to ú1.02
billion.
Top three export markets from
Denmark:
Germany
Sweden
UK
Top three suppliers to Denmark:
Germany
Sweden
UK
Flags Of The World: Monarchy of Denmark
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