Denmark is situated in Northern Europe and is one of the three Scandinavian countries. It has some 5.4 million inhabitants. GDP per capita in 2005 was $82,545.

Besides the main land mass – the Jutland Peninsula, which abuts northern Germany, Denmark consists of a lot of islands: around 406 in total, many of which are uninhabited. Zealand, on which Copenhagen is situated, and Funen, are the largest. Majestically alone 150km (93 miles) east of the mainland, lies the rocky island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Denmark’s terrain is among the flattest in the world. The average elevation is just 30 meters (about 100 feet) above sea level; the highest point, Yding Skovhøj in Jutland, reaches only 172.7 metres (568 feet).

LANGUAGE: Danish. English almost universally spoken.

Of Denmark’s 5.4 million inhabitants, four million live in urban areas. Copenhagen, the capital, is the nation’s financial and cultural centre. Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup, is the primary gateway to Scandinavia, Europe and the rest of the world. Approximately 1.8 million people live in Copenhagen and its suburbs alone. The second largest city is Århus in Jutland with 250,000 inhabitants. Odense in the centre of Funen comes third with 145,000.

The Faroe Islands and Greenland are semi-autonomous dependencies of the Kingdom of Denmark. Both have their own parliaments to oversee local matters such as health, education, welfare, taxes, the envi ron ment and a number of commercial matters. The population of Greenland is about 55,000, and that of the Faroe Islands, 47,000.

Denmark is a democracy with a constitutional monarchy headed by HRH Queen Margrethe II.
Denmark has a single chamber parliamentary system. General elections, scheduled every four years but with a possibility for interim polls, are supplemented by referendums on urgent matters of national or constitutional importance. The Folketing (parliament) has 179 members, including 2 elected on the Faroe Islands and 2 on Greenland.

Danish weather is always changeable but rarely harsh. April and May are mild. June, July and August are usually warm (average high: 21°C, or 70°F) and, on average, sunnier than England. February is the coldest month of the year, with an average temperature of -0.4°C, or 31.3°F.

CURRENCY: The Danish currency is the krone (“crown” in English) and is made up of 100 øre. Its international symbol is DKK, but most prices are posted simply as “kr.” in Denmark. 1€ is approx. DKK 7.45. In 2000, the Danes voted against membership of the euro but the country’s central bank maintains a strict policy of keeping the krone in a very tight fluctuation band against the euro.

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