DENMARK
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DENMARK
@Denmark:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,
on a peninsula north of Germany
Map references: Europe
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DENMARK - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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COPENHAGEN 1,352,000 55.40N, 12.35E 45- GMT+1
Aarhus 258,000 56.10N, 10.13E 45- GMT+1
Odense 174,000 55.24N, 10.25E 45- GMT+1
Aalborg 155,000 57.03N, 9.56E 45- GMT+1
Esbjerg 81,000 55.28N, 8.28E 45- GMT+1
Randers 61,000 56.28N, 10.03E 45- GMT+1
Helsingor 57,000 56.03N, 12.38E 45- GMT+1
Kolding 57,000 55.29N, 9.30E 45- GMT+1
Herning 56,000 56.08N, 8.59E 45- GMT+1
Horsens 55,000 55.52N, 9.52E 45- GMT+1
Vejle 44,000 55.43N, 9.33E 45- GMT+1
Roskilde 40,000 55.39N, 12.07E 45- GMT+1
Naestved 38,000 55.14N, 11.46E 45- GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 43,070 sq km
land area: 42,370 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Massachusetts
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest
of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Land boundaries: total 68 km, Germany 68 km
Coastline: 3,379 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 4 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: Rockall continental shelf dispute involving
Iceland, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool
summers
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 61%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 12%
other: 21%
Irrigated land: 4,300 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: air pollution, principally from vehicle emissions;
nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and
surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes
natural hazards: flooding is a threat in some areas of the country
(e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of
Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of
the Sea
Note: controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas; about
one-quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen
@Denmark:People
Population: 5,199,437 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (female 430,598; male 451,993)
15-64 years: 68% (female 1,731,531; male 1,780,083)
65 years and over: 15% (female 473,537; male 331,695) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.22% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.38 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 11.14 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.11 years
male: 73.23 years
female: 79.16 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Dane(s)
adjective: Danish
Ethnic divisions: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 2%, other 7% (1988)
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German
(small minority)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population: 99%
Labor force: 2,553,900
by occupation: private services 37.1%, government services 30.4%,
manufacturing and mining 20%, construction 6.3%, agriculture,
forestry, and fishing 5.6%, electricity/gas/water 0.6% (1991)
@Denmark:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark
local short form: Danmark
Digraph: DA
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Copenhagen
Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter,
singular - amt) and 1 city* (stad); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg,
Fyn, Kbenhavn, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkbing, Roskilde, Snderjylland,
Staden Kbenhavn*, Storstrm, Vejle, Vestsjaelland, Viborg
note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which
are part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative
divisions
Independence: 1849 (became a constitutional monarchy)
National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Constitution: 5 June 1953
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 NA January 1972); Heir
Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26 May
1968)
head of government: Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since NA
January 1993)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament (Folketing): elections last held 21 September 1994 (next to
be held by December 1998); results - Social Democrats 34.6%, Liberals
23.3%, Conservatives 15.0%, Social People's Party 7.3%, Progress Party
6.4%, Radical Liberals 4.6%, Unity Party 3.1%, Center Democrats 2.8%,
Christian People's Party 1.8%; seats - (179 total) Social Democrats
63, Liberals 44, Conservatives 28, Social People's Party 13, Progress
Party 11, Radical Liberals 8, Unity Party 6, Center Democrats 5,
independent 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party, Poul Nyrup
RASMUSSEN; Conservative Party, Hans ENGELL; Liberal Party, Uffe
ELLEMANN-JENSEN; Socialist People's Party, Holger K. NIELSEN; Progress
Party, Group Chairman Kim BEHNKE and Policy Spokesman Jan Kopke
CHRISTENSEN; Center Democratic Party, Mimi Stilling JAKOBSEN; Radical
Liberal Party, Marianne JELVED; Christian People's Party, Jann
SJURSEN; Common Course, Preben Moller HANSEN; Danish Workers' Party;
Unity Party
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC,
CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO,
NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Pedersen DYVIG (Knud-Erik TYGESEN
is Ambassador Elect for 1995)
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward E. ELSON
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen O
mailing address: APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] (31) 42 31 44
FAX: [45] (35) 43 02 23
Flag: 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
Economy
Overview: This thoroughly modern economy features high-tech
agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive
government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, and high
dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is self-sufficient in food
production. The new center-left coalition government will concentrate
on reducing the persistent high unemployment rate and the budget
deficit as well as following the previous government's policies of
maintaining low inflation and a current account surplus. In the face
of recent international market pressure on the Danish krone, the
coalition has also vowed to maintain a stable currency. The coalition
hopes to lower marginal income taxes while maintaining overall tax
revenues; boost industrial competitiveness through labor market and
tax reforms and increased research and development funds; and improve
welfare services for the neediest while cutting paperwork and delays.
Prime Minister RASMUSSEN's reforms will focus on adapting Denmark to
the criteria for European integration by 1999; although Copenhagen has
won from the European Union (EU) the right to opt out of the European
Monetary Union (EMU) if a national referendum rejects it. Denmark is,
in fact, one of the few EU countries likely to fit into the EMU on
time. Denmark is weathering the current worldwide slump better than
many West European countries. After posting 4.5% real GDP growth in
1994, Copenhagen is predicting a continued strong showing in 1995,
with real GDP up by 3.2%. The government expects an upswing in
business investment in 1995 to drive economic growth. Although
unemployment is high, it remains stable compared to most European
countries.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $103 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 4.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $19,860 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12.3% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $56.5 billion
expenditures: $64.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Exports: $42.9 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: meat and meat products, dairy products, transport
equipment (shipbuilding), fish, chemicals, industrial machinery
partners: EC 54.3% (Germany 23.6%, UK 10.1%, France 5.7%), Sweden
10.5%, Norway 5.8%, US 4.9%, Japan 3.6% (1992)
Imports: $37.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain and
foodstuffs, textiles, paper
partners: EC 53.4% (Germany 23.1%, UK 8.2%, France 5.6%), Sweden
10.8%, Norway 5.4%, US 5.7%, Japan 4.1% (1992)
External debt: $40.9 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -2.5% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 10,030,000 kW
production: 32 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 5,835 kWh (1993)
Industries: food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and
clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and
other wood products, shipbuilding
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; principal products - meat, dairy,
grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets, fish
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.9 billion
Currency: 1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 6.034 (January 1995),
6.361 (1994), 6.484 (1993), 6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Denmark:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 2,838 km (494 km privately owned and operated)
standard gauge: 2,838 km 1.435-m gauge (440 km electrified; 760 km
double track) (1994)
Highways:
total: 71,042 km
paved: concrete, asphalt, stone block 71,042 km (696 km of
expressways)
Inland waterways: 417 km
Pipelines: crude oil 110 km; petroleum products 578 km; natural gas
700 km
Ports: Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Grenaa, Koge,
Odense, Struer
Merchant marine:
total: 345 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,005,470 GRT/6,974,750
DWT
ships by type: bulk 17, cargo 109, chemical tanker 24, combination
bulk 1, container 61, liquefied gas tanker 32, livestock carrier 4,
oil tanker 32, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 18,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 35, short-sea passenger 11
note: Denmark has created its own internal register, called the Danish
International Ship register (DIS); DIS ships do not have to meet
Danish manning regulations, and they amount to a flag of convenience
within the Danish register
Airports:
total: 118
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 13
with paved runways under 914 m: 85
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7
@Denmark:Communications
Telephone system: 4,509,000 telephones; excellent telephone and
telegraph services; buried and submarine cables and microwave radio
relay support trunk network
local: NA
intercity: microwave radio relay
international: 19 submarine coaxial cables; 7 INTELSAT, EUTELSAT, and
INMARSAT earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 50
televisions: NA
@Denmark:Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air
Force, Home Guard
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,347,774; males fit for
military service 1,158,223; males reach military age (20) annually
36,191 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.7 billion, 1.9% of
GDP (1994)
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