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| Introduction | Denmark |
| Background: | Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs. |
| People | Denmark |
| Population: | 5,413,392 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 523,888; female 497,420) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,808,376; female 1,774,388) 65 years and over: 15% (male 344,113; female 465,207) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 39.2 years male: 38.3 years female: 40.2 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.35% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 11.59 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 10.53 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.44 years male: 75.17 years female: 79.83 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.74 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 5,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish |
| Ethnic groups: | Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali |
| Religions: | Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2% |
| Languages: | Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: NA female: NA |
| Government | Denmark |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local short form: Danmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark |
| Government type: | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital: | Copenhagen |
| Administrative divisions: | metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavns*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and are self-governing overseas administrative divisions |
| Independence: | first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy |
| National holiday: | none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June is generally viewed as the National Day |
| Constitution: | 5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of 5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state |
| Legal system: | civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 November 2001 (next to be held by November 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 31%, Social Democrats 29%, Danish People's Party 12%, Conservative Party 9%, Socialist People's Party 6%, Social Liberal Party 5%, Christian People's Party (now Christian Democrats) 2%, Unity List 2%; seats by party - Liberal Party 56, Social Democrats 52, Danish People's Party 22, Conservative Party 16, Socialist People's Party 12, Social Liberal Party 9, Christian People's Party (now Christian Democrats) 4, Unity List 4; note - does not include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Center Democratic Party [Mimi JAKOBSEN]; Christian Democrats (was Christian People's Party) [Marianne KARLSMOSE]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Social Democratic Party [Mogens LYKKETOFT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Holger K. NIELSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Stuart A. BERNSTEIN; note - will leave 15 January 2005 embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716 telephone: [45] 35 55 31 44 FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23 |
| Flag description: | red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden |
| Communications | Denmark |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 3,610,100 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 4,785,300 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios: | 6.02 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998) |
| Televisions: | 3.121 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .dk |
| Internet hosts: | 1,219,925 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 13 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 2.756 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Denmark |
| Railways: | total: 3,002 km standard gauge: 3,002 km 1.435-m gauge (595 km electrified) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 71,591 km paved: 71,591 km (including 880 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | 417 km (2001) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 12 km; gas 3,892 km; oil 455 km; oil/gas/water 2 km; unknown (oil/water) 64 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Aabenraa, Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Hirtshals, Kolding, Odense, Roenne (Bornholm), Vejle |
| Merchant marine: | total: 276 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,952,473 GRT/9,030,444 DWT registered in other countries: 284 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Germany 1, Greece 1, Indonesia 2, Norway 5 by type: bulk 4, cargo 77, chemical tanker 36, container 83, liquefied gas 15, livestock carrier 5, petroleum tanker 27, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 11, short-sea/passenger 5, specialized tanker 4 |
| Airports: | 99 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 69 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 63 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Denmark |
| Military branches: | Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age; 18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,276,087 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,088,751 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 30,333 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $3,271.6 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.6% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Denmark |
| Disputes - international: | Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area) remains dormant; dispute with Iceland over the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary within 200 nm; disputes with Iceland, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested dispute with Canada over Hans Island sovereignty in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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