World Facts

conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark
Capital: Copenhagen
Type of Government: constitutional monarchy-
Administrative Divisions: metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 18.8% (male 524,250/female 497,683)
Agriculture: barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish
Airports: 97 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 28
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: total: 43,094 sq km. slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
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.
Birth rate: 11.36 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $148.8 billion
Coastline: 7,314 km-
Climate: temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Communications:
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
Currency: Danish krone (DKK)
Current account balance: $7.019 billion (2005 est.)
Death rate: 10.43 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $352.9 billion (30 June 2005)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Friis PETERSEN
Disputes - international: Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland
Distribution of family income: 24.7 (1997)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $1.63 billion (1999)-
Economic aid - recipient:
Economy - overview: This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro; even so, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Growth in 2005 was sluggish, yet above the scanty 0.3% of 2003. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish people enjoy living standards topped by no other nation. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees.
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
Environment - current issues: air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Ethnic groups: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali
Exchange rates: Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.93 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001)
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)
Exports: $84.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - partners: Germany 18%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.7%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 5.5%, Norway 5.4%, France 5% (2004)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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
GDP (official exchange rate): $254.1 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity): $182.1 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.2%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $33,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.2% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 10 00 E
Geography - note: controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen-
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5,000 (2003 est.)-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%-
Illicit drugs:
Imports: $74.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - partners: Germany 22.3%, Sweden 13.5%, Netherlands 6.8%, UK 6.1%, France 4.5%, Norway 4.5%, Italy 4.1%, China 4% (2004)
Independence: first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2005 est.)
Industries: iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills
Infant mortality rate: total: 4.56 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2005 est.)
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, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Internet country code: .dk
Internet hosts: 1,219,925 (2004)
Internet users: 2.756 million (2002)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,760 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)
Labor force: 2.9 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries: total: 68 km
Land use: arable land: 54.02%
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority)
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.62 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
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)-
Major infectious diseases:
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 1,175,108 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 955,168 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 31,317 (2005 est.)
Map references: Europe
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Median age: total: 39.47 years
Merchant marine: total: 287 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,952,473 GRT/9,030,444 DWT-
Military - note:
Military branches: Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy (Sovaernet), Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard (Hjemmevaernet) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3,271.6 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (2004)
Military service age and obligation: 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)
National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day
Nationality: noun: Dane(s)
Natural gas - consumption: 5.28 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: 8.38 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 81.98 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
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
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
Net migration rate: 2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 188,300 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: 332,100 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 195,000 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - production: 376,900 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - proved reserves: 1.23 billion bbl (1 January 2002)-
People - note:
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 [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
Population: 5,432,335 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA
Population growth rate: 0.34% (2005 est.)
Ports and terminals: Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Graasten, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne
Public debt: 40.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways: total: 2,628 km-
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $40.05 billion (2004 est.)
Roadways: total: 71,847 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
Telephones - main lines in use: 3,610,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,785,300 (2003)
Television broadcast stations: 26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)
Terrain: low and flat to gently rolling plains
Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 5.7% (2005 est.)
Waterways: 417 km (2001)