Queen: Margrethe II Prime Minister: Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
Population
5,543,453
7,590,758
Life Expectancy
78.780 years
81.070 years
Capital City
Copenhagen
Jerusalem
Largest city
Copenhagen (population: 1,153,620)
Jerusalem (population: 714,000)
Human Development Index
0.952
0.93
GDP per capita
$37,600 US
$31,400 US
Literacy Rate
99%
97.1%
Corruption Perception Index
9.3
6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
38%
14.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen ($2.1bn US)
Sammy Ofer & family ($4.0bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.000%
5.600%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished except for special circumstances
Political System
constitutional monarchy
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2%
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Languages
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Exports
machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
External Debt
$626,900,000,000 $
$102,300,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.0236 (2008 est.), 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004)
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
7.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
7
1
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Area
43,094 km sq
20,770 km sq
Coastline
7,314 km
273 km
Climate
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
