Area:

43,095 km2

Chief of State:

Queen Margrethe II. (Since 1972)

Constitution:

Constitutional Monarchy

Education:

The Danish educational system is made up of a primary and lower secondary comprehensive school, various upper secondary and vocational education courses and a wide range of higher educational programs, as well as adult and open education.

Education is compulsory for nine years from the age of 6 or 7 to 15 years. Most children also attend a voluntary pre-school class. Having finished their compulsory basic education, pupils may either attend the voluntary tenth form of the “ Folkeskole” or continue their education at upper secondary level.

General upper secondary education comprises the three-year general upper secondary courses at the “Gymnasium” (upper secondary school), the two-year higher preparatory examination course (HF), as well as two- or three-year adult upper secondary level courses. These are all academically oriented courses qualifying students for higher education.

Flag:

Red with a white cross

Great Danes – past:

Søren Kierkegaard, Hans Christian Ørsted, Karen Blixen, Niels Bohr, August Bournonville, Hans Christian Andersen, Carl Nielsen, Georg Jensen and Arne Jacobsen.

Historical facts:

About Copenhagen: There is evidence that Copenhagen existed as a settlement more than 6,000 years ago but the first written record did not appear until 1043. At that time Copenhagen (then simply called Havn or Harbour) was little more than a small group of wattle and daub huts but gradually it began to grow in significance because of the rich fishing possibilities in Øresund (herring) and its en route position between the royal seat in Roskilde – west of Copenhagen – and the religious centre of the Cathedral of Lund in southern Sweden at that time also part of Denmark. The city father is said to be Bishop Absalon (1128-1201). By the time of his death the warrior bishop had transformed Havn into a vital military post whose stone fortress served as a base for the destruction of the Wendish pirates.

Internet country code:

.dk

Landscape:

The Danish countryside is rather flat. The highest natural surface point (Møllehøj) is 170.86 meters above sea level and granite cliffs can be found only on the island of Bornholm. The countryside is characterized by agricultural land, with numerous cultivated areas, woods, forests and streams. About 65% of the country is agricultural, 11% is woodland and the rest - 23% - are towns, roads and lakes.

As a curiosum it has recently been scientifically proven that the highest mountain in the world discovered so far is actually lower than Jutland. It is more than 9,000 metres high or higher than Mount Everest.

Monarchy:

The Danish Monarchy is Europe’s oldest and a constitutional monachy. The first known members of the Danish Royal family, Gorm the Old and Tyra, are known to have lived during approximately the middle of the 10th century, and the Danish monarchy has continued in a direct line for more than 1,000 years without revolutions. Harald, also known as Harald Bluetooth, succeeded his father, Gorm, as king. The Danish monarchical line, stretching from Gorm the Old to the current reign of Queen Margrethe II, comprises 54 names.

Parliament:

Folketinget with 179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands. Members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation. Direct, regular elections every fourth year (except at loss of majority).

Denmark has a single chamber parliamentary system, supplemented with referendums. Folketinget (the parliament) has 179 members, including 2 elected from the Faroe Islands and 2 from Greenland. ChristiansborgPalace, in the city of Copenhagen, is the seat of the Parliament.

The voting age in Denmark is 18 years, and elections are decided by proportional representation with a 2 percent minimum. There are currently 10 political parties. With a close to 90% turn-out, Denmark can boast high participation in parliamentary elections.

Prime Minister:

Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Venstre (The Liberal Party)

Telephone country code:

From most countries you dial 0045 though there are some exceptions. For example, from the US you dial 011 45.