Urban area of Copenhagen
The urban area of Copenhagen (also known as Greater Copenhagen) (Danish: Storkøbenhavn or Hovedstadsområdet), lying mostly in the Capital Region of Denmark but also in Region Zealand, consist of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg municipalities and the former Copenhagen County. In all, it consists of 18 municipalities, and except parts of Ballerup, Greve (of former Roskilde County), Ishøj, former Søllerød and former Værløse, mentioned with (the part of) their population included from 2007. Ishøj and Greve Strand are included for the first time since 1999. As of 1 January 2022, this area had a population of 1,336,982.[1] Statistics Denmark states that the definition of the urban area is based on UN's 200m definition.[2]
List of municipalities
According to
- Copenhagen (a large area of western Amager is unpopulated) - 644,431
- Frederiksberg - 104,410
- Albertslund - 27,743
- Ballerup - 48,295
- Brøndby - 35,538
- ) - 40,911
- Gentofte - 75,803
- Gladsaxe - 69,484
- Glostrup - 22,663
- Greve Strand - 49,974
- Herlev - 28,572
- Hvidovre - 53,282
- Ishøj - 22,988
- Lyngby-Taarbæk- 55,472
- Rødovre - 39,343
- ) - 55,989
- Taastrup- 50.686
- Tårnby (a very large area of western Amager and the Saltholm (2 inhabitants (2020)) and Peberholm (nature habitat) islands are unpopulated) - 43,063
- Vallensbæk - 16,280
Hovedstadsområdet vs. urban area of Copenhagen
However Hovedstadsområdet (English: "The Capital Area") is not a definition for the urban area of Copenhagen. The area does not follow the recommendations of the United Nations regarding urban definitions (i.e. 200 meters between buildings as the required minimum) and is used for statistic issues only. The main difference between "Hovedstadsområdet" and common urban area definition (or city limits) involves the islands of Amager, Saltholm and Peberholm, and primarily the municipality of Tårnby. Copenhagen Municipality, Tårnby Municipality and Dragør Municipality is the three Municipality's on The Island of Amager.
"Hovedstadsområdet" contains the entire Copenhagen and Tårnby municipalities, although the latter contains large areas without buildings and inhabitants. This also applies to a smaller part of Copenhagen on Amager island.
The western part of Amager is an enlargement from a shallow part of the
Some of the unused area belongs to Copenhagen Municipality, but the Dragør Municipality and Tårnby Municipality part is far larger. Also the almost unpopulated islands of "Saltholm" (3 inhabitants in 2010) and "Peberholm" (unpopulated) belongs to Tårnby, and so does the taxi and runway system of Copenhagen Airport (with three long runways). In all, most of Tårnby and a minor part of Copenhagen municipalities on Amager island cannot be regarded as an urban area. Consequently, "Hovedstadsområdet" does not equal an urban area of Copenhagen.
Neither the Danish statistic authority "Danmarks Statistik" (which presents information regarding "Hovedstadsområdet") or the Danish geographical institute "Kort og Matrikelstyrelsen" (which determines the borders of "Hovedstadsområdet") states that "Hovedstadsområdet" is an urban area of Copenhagen. For internal Danish matters this is of no importance. But when comparing Copenhagen with other cities, the unpopulated non-urban areas of Amager, Saltholm and Peberholm do make a difference in f.i. terms of population density.
As of February 2012[update], Copenhagen lacks official urban borders for comparison with other cities. "Hovedstadsområdet" is an area invented primarily for statistical matters. It is rarely used in conversation (as a defined area). Sometimes in media the word "Hovedstadsområdet" represents a metropolitan area from
Another similar area is "Storkøbenhavn" (eng. "Greater Copenhagen"). This is used by "Vejdirektoratet" ("the road authority") only. Just "Copenhagen" may refer either to the municipality, which has quite stingy borders (and totally surrounds Frederiksberg municipality), or the entire city, which does not have defined borders.
Until the 1970s, the city region of Copenhagen (
Urban Copenhagen and this city region are statistical abstracts only and have no political and/or administrative implications.
See also
- List of urban areas in Denmark by population
- Copenhagen metropolitan area
- Danish Capital Region
- Øresund Region
References
- ^ "Statistics Denmark: Copenhagen City/Urban Area (Københavns Kommune, Hovedstadsområdet), 2012 (tables: FOLK1, BEF44)". Statistics Denmark. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ 1.2 Statistiske begreber (in Danish)
- ^ google maps earth mode
- ^ tally of population of the mentioned municipalities, including some reductions for the parts outside the described area