The Kingdom of Denmark, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland, has roughly 1,400 islands greater than 100 square metres (1,100 sq ft) in area; 443 have been named and 78 are inhabited.[14] Denmark's population is close to 6 million,[7] of which roughly 40% live in Zealand, the largest and most populated island in Denmark proper; Copenhagen, the capital and largest city of the Danish Realm, is situated on Zealand and Amager.[15] Comprised mostly of flat, arable land, Denmark is characterised by sandy coasts, low elevation, and a temperate climate. Denmark exercises hegemonic influence in the Danish Realm, devolving powers to the other constituent entities to handle their internal affairs. Home rule was established in the Faroe Islands in 1948; Greenland achieved home rule in 1979 and further autonomy in 2009.[16]
The etymology of the name "Denmark", the relationship between "Danes" and "Denmark", and the emergence of Denmark as a unified kingdom are topics of continuous scholarly debate.[19][20] This is centred primarily on the morpheme "Dan" and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -"mark" ending.
Most etymological dictionaries and handbooks derive "Dan" from a word meaning "flat land",[21] related to German Tenne "threshing floor", English den "cave".[21] The element mark is believed to mean woodland or borderland (see marches), with probable references to the border forests in south Schleswig.[22]
The first recorded use of the word Danmark within Denmark itself is found on the two Jelling stones, which are runestones believed to have been erected by Gorm the Old (c. 955) and Harald Bluetooth (c. 965). The larger of the two stones is popularly cited as the "baptismal certificate" (dåbsattest) of Denmark,[23] though both use the word "Denmark", in the accusativeᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚢᚱᚴtanmaurk ([danmɒrk]) on the large stone, and the genitiveᛏᛅᚾᛘᛅᚱᚴᛅᚱ "tanmarkar" (pronounced [danmarkaɽ]) on the small stone, while the dative form tąnmarku (pronounced [danmarkʊ]) is found on the contemporaneous Skivum stone. The inhabitants of Denmark are there called tani ([danɪ]), or "Danes", in the accusative.
Eem interglacial period from 130,000 to 110,000 BC.[24] Denmark has been inhabited since around 12,500 BC and agriculture has been evident since 3900 BC.[25] The Nordic Bronze Age (1800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings including lurs and the Sun Chariot
.
During the
Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400).[25] The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of North-West Europe and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron
.
The tribal Danes came from the east
Brythonic King Vortigern, and formed the south-eastern territories of Kent, the Isle of Wight and other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons, who formed the Anglo-Saxons. The remaining Jutish population in Jutland assimilated in with the settling Danes
.
A short note about the Dani in
ethnic groups from whom modern Danes are descended.[27][28] The Danevirke defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward and the sheer size of the construction efforts in AD 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king.[29] A new runic alphabet was first used around the same time and Ribe
, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about AD 700.
pence of this period have been found in Denmark.[30]
Denmark was largely consolidated by the late 8th century and its rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources as kings (reges). Under the reign of Gudfred in 804 the Danish kingdom may have included all the lands of Jutland, Scania and the Danish islands, excluding Bornholm.[31]
The extant Danish monarchy traces its roots back to
Canute the Great won and united Denmark, England, and Norway for almost 30 years with a Scandinavian army.[30]
trading posts in Africa and India. While Denmark's trading posts in India were of little note, it played an important role in the highly lucrative Atlantic slave trade, through its trading outposts in Fort Christiansborg in Osu, Ghana through which 1.5 million slaves were traded.[35] While the Danish colonial empire was sustained by trade with other major powers, and plantations – ultimately a lack of resources led to its stagnation.[36]
In the
Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. Swedish armies invaded Jutland in 1643 and claimed Scania in 1644. In the 1645 Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland
, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway.
Seeing an opportunity to tear up the Treaty of Brømsebro, King
Second Northern War (1655–1660), and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat as the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered Jutland and, following the Swedish March across the frozen Danish straits, occupied Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658, which gave Sweden control of Scania, Blekinge, Bohuslän, Trøndelag, and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having ruined Denmark and in August 1658, he launched a second attack on Denmark, conquered most of the Danish islands, and began a two-year-long siege of Copenhagen. King Frederick III actively led the defence of the city, rallying its citizens to take up arms, and repelled the Swedish attacks.[39][40] The siege ended following the death of Charles X Gustav in 1660.[41] In the ensuing peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm.[42] Attaining great popularity following the war, Frederick III used this to disband the elective monarchy in favour of absolute monarchy, which lasted until 1848 in Denmark.[43]
Denmark tried but failed to regain control of Scania in the
neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark traded with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden, and Prussia.[44] British fears that Denmark-Norway would ally with France led to two attacks against Danish targets in Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807. These attacks resulted in the British capturing most of the Dano-Norwegian navy and led to the outbreak of the Gunboat War. British control of the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813 Denmark–Norway went bankrupt.[citation needed
]
The union was dissolved by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814; the Danish monarchy "irrevocably and forever" renounced claims to the Kingdom of Norway in favour of the Swedish king.[45] Denmark kept the possessions of Iceland (which retained the Danish monarchy until 1944), the Faroe Islands and Greenland, all of which had been governed by Norway for centuries.[46] Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark continued to rule over Danish India from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies from 1671 to 1917.
Constitutional monarchy (1849–present)
A nascent Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s; after the European Revolutions of 1848, Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. A new constitution established a two-chamber parliament. Denmark faced war against both Prussia and the Austrian Empire in what became known as the Second Schleswig War, lasting from February to October 1864. Denmark was defeated and obliged to cedeSchleswig and Holstein to Prussia. This loss came as the latest in the long series of defeats and territorial losses that had begun in the 17th century. After these events, Denmark pursued a policy of neutrality in Europe.
Industrialisation came to Denmark in the second half of the 19th century.[47] The nation's first railways were constructed in the 1850s, and improved communications and overseas trade allowed industry to develop in spite of Denmark's lack of natural resources. Trade unions
developed, starting in the 1870s. There was a considerable migration of people from the countryside to the cities, and Danish agriculture became centred on the export of dairy and meat products.
Denmark
Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March 1920, respectively. On 10 July 1920, Northern Schleswig was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding some 163,600 inhabitants and 3,984 square kilometres (1,538 sq mi). The country's first social democratic government took office in 1924.[48]
In 1939, Denmark signed a 10-year nonaggression pact with
Germany surrendered in May 1945. In 1948, the Faroe Islands gained home rule. In 1949, Denmark became a founding member of NATO
.
Denmark was a founding member of
Greenland
are members of the European Union, the Faroese having declined membership of the EEC in 1973 and Greenland in 1986, in both cases because of fisheries policies.
cities with populations over 100,000 are the capital Copenhagen on Zealand; Aarhus and Aalborg in Jutland; and Odense
on Funen.
The metropolitan part occupies a total area of 42,943.9
shoreline (including small bays and inlets).[55] No location in Denmark is farther from the coast than 52 km (32 mi). On the south-west coast of Jutland, the tide is between 1 and 2 m (3.28 and 6.56 ft), and the tideline moves outward and inward on a 10 km (6.2 mi) stretch.[56] Denmark's territorial waters
total 105,000 square kilometres (40,541 square miles).
Denmark's northernmost point is
Østerskær at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the small Ertholmene
archipelago 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is 452 kilometres (281 mi), from north to south 368 kilometres (229 mi).
The metropolitan part is flat with little elevation, having an average height
above sea level of 31 metres (102 ft). The highest natural point is Møllehøj, at 170.86 metres (560.56 ft).[57] Although this is by far the lowest high point in the Nordic countries and also less than half of the highest point in Southern Sweden, Denmark's general elevation in its interior is generally at a safe level from rising sea levels. A sizeable portion of Denmark's terrain consists of rolling plains whilst the coastline is sandy, with large dunes in northern Jutland. Although once extensively forested, today Denmark largely consists of arable land. It is drained by a dozen or so rivers, and the most significant include the Gudenå, Odense, Skjern, Suså and Vidå—a river that flows along its southern border with Germany. The country has 1008 lakes, 16 have an area of more than 500 hectares (1,200 acres). Lake Arresø, located northwest of Copenhagen, is the largest lake.[54]
The Kingdom of Denmark includes two overseas territories, both well to the west of Denmark: Greenland, the world's largest island, and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. These territories are self-governing under their own parliaments (the Løgting and Inatsisartut) and form, together with continental Denmark, part of the Danish Realm, a country.
Climate
Denmark has a
temperate climate, characterised by cool to cold winters, with mean temperatures in January of 1.5 °C (34.7 °F), and mild summers, with a mean temperature in August of 17.2 °C (63.0 °F).[58] The most extreme temperatures recorded in Denmark, since 1874 when recordings began, was 36.4 °C (97.5 °F) in 1975 and −31.2 °C (−24.2 °F) in 1982.[59] Denmark has an average of 179 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of 765 millimetres (30 in) per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest.[58] The position between a continent and an ocean means that the weather is often unstable.[60]
Because of Denmark's northern location, there are large seasonal variations in daylight: short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 8:45 am and sunset 3:45 pm (standard time), as well as long summer days with sunrise at 4:30 am and sunset at 10 pm (daylight saving time).[61]
Roe deer occupy the countryside in growing numbers, and large-antlered red deer can be found in the sparse woodlands of Jutland. Denmark is also home to smaller mammals, such as polecats, hares and hedgehogs.[67] Approximately 400 bird species inhabit Denmark and about 160 of those breed in the country.[68] Large marine mammals include healthy populations of harbour porpoises, growing numbers of pinnipeds and occasional visits of whales, including blue whales and orcas. Cod, herring and plaice are abundant culinary fish in Danish waters and form the basis for a large fishing industry.[69]
Environment
Denmark historically taken a progressive stance on
environmental issues, although much of its household and industrial waste is now increasingly filtered and sometimes recycled. Denmark is a signatory to the Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[71] However, its national ecological footprint is 8.26 global hectares per person, which is very high compared to a world average of 1.7 in 2010.[72] Contributing factors are an exceptionally high value for cropland and grazing land,[73] possibly due to substantially high meat production (115.8 kilograms (255 lb) meat annually per capita) and economic size of the meat and dairy industries.[74]
Notwithstanding its relatively high emissions, Denmark topped the list of the 2015 Climate Change Performance Index due to its implementation effective climate protection policies.[75] The country has consistently placed first since 2020.[76] Denmark ranked 10th in the Environmental Performance Index,[77] which measures progress at mitigating climate change, safeguarding ecosystem vitality, and promoting environmental health.[78] In 2021, Denmark joined Costa Rica to launch the "Beyond Oil and Gas alliance" for stopping use fossil fuels.[79] The Danish government stopped issuing new licences for oil and gas extraction in December 2020.[80]
Denmark's territories, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, catch approximately 650 whales per year.[81][82] Greenland's quotas for the catch of whales are determined according to the advice of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), having quota decision-making powers.[83]
Royal Assent within thirty days in order to become law.[90]
Denmark is a representative democracy with universal suffrage.[N 12] Membership of the Folketing is based on proportional representation of political parties,[92] with a 2% electoral threshold. Denmark elects 175 members to the Folketing, with Greenland and the Faroe Islands electing an additional two members each—179 members in total.[93] Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the prime minister to ask the monarch to call for an election before the term has elapsed. On a vote of no confidence, the Folketing may force a single minister or an entire government to resign.[94]
The Government of Denmark operates as a
coalition governments, themselves usually minority governments dependent on non-government parties.[95]
The Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state that comprises, in addition to metropolitan Denmark, two autonomous territories[11] in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. They have been integrated parts of the Danish Realm since the 18th century; however, due to their separate historical and cultural identities, these parts of the Realm have extensive political powers and have assumed legislative and administrative responsibility in a substantial number of fields.[101]Home rule was granted to the Faroe Islands in 1948 and to Greenland in 1979, each having previously had the status of counties.[102]
The Faroe Islands and Greenland have their own home governments and parliaments and are effectively
Greenlandic Parliament, but they cannot vote.[102] The Faroese home government is defined to be an equal partner with the Danish national government,[103] while the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.[104]
Denmark, with a total area of 43,094 square kilometres (16,639 sq mi), is divided into five administrative regions (Danish: regioner). The regions are further subdivided into 98 municipalities (kommuner). The easternmost land in Denmark, the Ertholmene archipelago, with an area of 39 hectares (0.16 sq mi), is neither part of a municipality nor a region but belongs to the Ministry of Defence.[107] The provinces of Denmark are statistical divisions of Denmark, positioned between the administrative regions and municipalities. They are not administrative divisions, nor subject for any kind of political elections, but are mainly for statistical use.
The regions were created on
electoral wards
.
Regions
The governing bodies of the regions are the regional councils, each with forty-one councillors elected for four-year terms. The councils are headed by regional district chairmen (regionsrådsformand), who are elected by the council.[109]
The areas of responsibility for the regional councils are the
national health service, social services and regional development.[109][110] Unlike the counties they replaced, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes and the health service is partly financed by a national health care contribution until 2018 (sundhedsbidrag), partly by funds from both government and municipalities.[111]
From 1 January 2019 this contribution will be abolished, as it is being replaced by higher income tax instead.
The
North Denmark Region. Under the county system certain densely populated municipalities, such as Copenhagen Municipality and Frederiksberg, had been given a status equivalent to that of counties, making them first-level administrative divisions. These sui generis
municipalities were incorporated into the new regions under the 2007 reforms.
As a member of Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Denmark has for a long time been among the countries of the world contributing the largest percentage of gross national income to development aid. In 2015, Denmark contributed 0.85% of its gross national income (GNI) to foreign aid and was one of only six countries meeting the longstanding UN target of 0.7% of GNI.[N 14][115] The country participates in both bilateral and multilateral aid, with the aid usually administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organisational name of Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is often used, in particular when operating bilateral aid. According to the 2024 Global Peace Index, Denmark is the 8th most peaceful country in the world.[116]
SFOR.[122] Between 2003 and 2007, there were approximately 450 Danish soldiers in Iraq.[123] Denmark also strongly supported American operations in Afghanistan and has contributed both monetarily and materially to the ISAF.[124]
These initiatives are often described by the authorities as part of a new "active foreign policy" of Denmark.
considerably lower. According to Eurostat, Denmark's Gini coefficient for disposable income was the 7th-lowest among EU countries in 2017.[134]
According to the
fast food chains make the equivalent of US$20 an hour, which is more than double what their counterparts earn in the United States, and have access to paid vacation, parental leave and a pension plan.[136] Union density in 2015 was 68%.[137]
Once a predominantly
machinery and transportation equipment, food processing, and construction.[139] Circa 60% of the total export value is due to export of goods, and the remaining 40% is from service exports, mainly sea transport. The country's main export goods are: wind turbines, pharmaceuticals, machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, furniture and design.[139] Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has for a number of years had a balance of payments surplus which has transformed the country from a net debitor to a net creditor country. By 1 July 2018, the net international investment position (or net foreign assets) of Denmark was equal to 64.6% of GDP.[140]
Denmark is part of the
internal market, which represents more than 508 million consumers. Several domestic commercial policies are determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and by EU legislation. Support for free trade is high among the Danish public; in a 2016 poll 57% responded saw globalisation as an opportunity whereas 18% viewed it as a threat.[141] 70% of trade flows are inside the European Union. As of 2017[update], Denmark's largest export partners are Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.[71]
Denmark's currency, the
pegged at approximately 7.46 kroner per euro through the ERM II. Although a September 2000 referendum rejected adopting the euro,[142] the country follows the policies set forth in the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU) and meets the economic convergence criteria needed to adopt the euro. The majority of the political parties in the Folketing support joining the EMU, but since 2010 opinion polls have consistently shown a clear majority against adopting the euro. In March 2018, 29% of respondents from Denmark in a Eurobarometer opinion poll stated that they were in favour of the EMU and the euro, whereas 65% were against it.[143] The exact same poll conducted in November 2023, was almost unchanged with 31% in favour and 63% against.[144]
Ranked by turnover in Denmark, the largest Danish companies are:
Danes enjoy a high standard of living and the Danish economy is characterised by extensive government welfare provisions. Denmark has a corporate tax rate of 22% and a special time-limited tax regime for expatriates.[147] The Danish taxation system is broad based, with a 25% value-added tax, in addition to excise taxes, income taxes and other fees. The overall level of taxation (sum of all taxes, as a percentage of GDP) was 46% in 2017.[148] The tax structure of Denmark (the relative weight of different taxes) differs from the OECD average, as the Danish tax system in 2015 was characterised by substantially higher revenues from taxes on personal income and a lower proportion of revenues from taxes on corporate income and gains and property taxes than in OECD generally, whereas no revenues at all derive from social security contributions. The proportion deriving from payroll taxes, VAT, and other taxes on goods and services correspond to the OECD average[149]
As of 2014[update], 6% of the population was reported to live below the
poverty line, when adjusted for taxes and transfers. Denmark had the 2nd lowest relative poverty rate in the OECD, below the 11.3% OECD average.[150] The 6% of the population reporting that they could not afford to buy sufficient food was less than half of the OECD average.[150]
Labour market
Like other Nordic countries, Denmark has adopted the
worker protection.[151] As a result of its acclaimed "flexicurity" model, Denmark has the freest labour market in Europe, according to the World Bank. Employers can hire and fire whenever they want (flexibility), and between jobs, unemployment compensation is relatively high (security). According to OECD, initial as well as long-term net replacement rates for unemployed persons were 65% of previous net income in 2016, against an OECD average of 53%.[152] No restrictions apply regarding overtime work, which allows companies to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.[153] With an employment rate in 2017 of 74.2% for people aged 15–64-years, Denmark ranks 9th highest among the OECD countries, and above the OECD average of 67.8%.[154] The unemployment rate was 5.7% in 2017,[155] which is considered close to or below its structural level.[156]
The level of unemployment benefits is dependent on former employment and normally on membership of an unemployment fund, which is usually closely connected to a trade union, and previous payment of contributions. Circa 65% of the financing comes from earmarked member contributions, whereas the remaining third originates from the central government and hence from general taxation.[157]
Business
Establishing a business in Denmark can be undertaken in a matter of hours and at very low costs.[158] The Danish government operates a "Danish Business Authority", and launched a series of initiatives in 2012 aiming to simplify business rules, making it easier to run a business without jeopardising the intended goals of relevant legislation.[159]
Denmark has a long tradition of scientific and technological invention and engagement, and has been involved internationally from the very start of the
In the 20th century, Danes have also been innovative in several fields of the technology sector. Danish companies have been influential in the shipping industry with the design of the largest and most energy efficient container ships in the world, the
Maersk Triple E class, and Danish engineers have contributed to the design of MAN Diesel engines. In the software and electronic field, Denmark contributed to design and manufacturing of Nordic Mobile Telephones, and the now-defunct Danish company DanCall was among the first to develop GSM
segregated dedicated bicycle paths and lanes, Denmark has a solid bicycle infrastructure
.
Private vehicles are increasingly used as a means of transport. Because of the
VAT
(25%), and one of the world's highest income tax rates, new cars are very expensive. The purpose of the tax is to discourage car ownership.
In 2007, an attempt was made by the government to favour environmentally friendly cars by slightly reducing taxes on high mileage vehicles. However, this has had little effect, and in 2008 Denmark experienced an increase in the import of fuel inefficient old cars,[178] as the cost for older cars—including taxes—keeps them within the budget of many Danes.
As of 2011[update], the average car age is 9.2 years.[179]
People of Danish origin (including Faroese and Greenlandic) (86.11%)
Immigrant (10.56%)
Descendant of an immigrant (3.34%)
Population
In April 2020, the population of Denmark, as registered by
social welfare. The rate of taxation is among the world's highest and can be half a Dane's income but they get most healthcare free, university tuition is also free and students get grants, there is subsidized child care and old people get pensions and care helpers.[187]
Denmark is a historically
net emigration, up until World War II, to a nation of net immigration. Today, residence permits are issued mostly to immigrants from other EU countries (54% of all non-Scandinavian immigrants in 2017). Another 31% of residence permits were study- or work-related, 4% were issued to asylum seekers and 10% to persons who arrive as family dependants.[189] Overall, the net migration rate in 2017 was 2.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population, somewhat lower than the United Kingdom and the other Nordic countries.[139][190][191]
The Inuit are Indigenous to Greenland in the Kingdom and have traditionally inhabited Greenland and the northern parts of Canada and Alaska in the Arctic. From the 18th century up to the 1970s, the Danish government (Dano-Norwegian until 1814) tried to assimilate the Greenlandic Inuit, encouraging them to adopt the majority language and culture. Because of this "Danization process", some persons of Inuit ancestry now identify their mother tongue as Danish.
Largest cities in Denmark (as of 1 January 2016[update])[193]
A large majority (86%) of Danes speak English as a second language,[196] generally with a high level of proficiency. German is the second-most spoken foreign language, with 47% reporting a conversational level of proficiency.[194] Denmark had 25,900 native speakers of German in 2007 (mostly in the South Jutland area).[194]