Constitutional monarchy of northern Europe, it is the most southern of the Scandinavian countries. It is limited to the north with the Skagerrak Strait; to the east with the Strait of Kattegat and the Strait of Oresund that joins the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea; to the south with the Baltic Sea, the Fehmarn Strait and the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; and to the west with the North Sea.
According to Youremailverifier.com, Denmark comprises most of the Jutland peninsula, more than 400 islands in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea; Sjaelland or Seelandia is the largest, followed by Fyn, Lolland, Falster, Langeland and Mon. Approximately 230 km east of Sjaelland, in the Baltic Sea, is the island of Bornholm. Denmark has two external territories located north of the Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which enjoy full autonomy in internal matters. Excluding these territories, it has a surface area of 43,080 km². The capital is Copenhagen.
Territory
It is a flat lowland surface. The average altitude is only 30 m. The natural landscape is largely shaped by glacial phenomena. The icy caps of northern Europe, at the end of the glacial periods, reached their southernmost limit in the country, which was reflected by a final slope that unfolds from the Nissum fjord to Viborg, in the center. This slope establishes the border between clearly contrasted landscapes: to the east, a surface of fertile plains, gentle hills and numerous lakes; and to the west, a flat surface formed by deposits of sand and gravel due to glacial fusion. The east coast is cut by a series of fjords that penetrate into the interior.
The climate is temperate and humid, with moderate summers and rainy winters. The average annual precipitation is 610mm, of which approximately 10% is in the form of snow.
Population and government
The population is extremely homogeneous; 96% are of Danish origin and are closely related to other Scandinavian peoples. There is a small immigrant population.
Excluding Faroe Islands and Greenland, it has a population of 5,192,642 inhabitants, with a density of 120 inhabitants / km². Greenland has 55,419 inhabitants and the Faroe Islands (1994) have 43 thousand inhabitants.
The main cities are:
Copenhagen (comprises Copenhagen and the municipalities of Gentofte and Frederiksberg), Aarhus, Odense and Alborg.
Lutheranism is the religion of 90% of Danes. The monarch must be a member of the Church, for the rest of the population there is religious freedom.
It is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy, governed according to the 1953 Constitution. Executive power is nominally in the sovereign, but in practice it is exercised by a cabinet headed by the prime minister. Legislative power is exercised jointly by the sovereign and the Parliament.
Economy
Traditionally it was an agrarian country and agriculture is, because of this, a key economic sector. Since the end of World War II, industry and services have undoubtedly gained importance. Gross domestic product (1991) is $ 121,650 million, with $ 23,660 per capita, one of the highest in the world.
About 60% of cultivated land is cultivated with cereals; the rest is forage and other crops, such as flax, hemp, hops and tobacco. It is the world’s leading producer of pork products. It has an important cooperative movement that is dedicated especially to products for daily consumption and pig products.
The large fishing fleet (over 3,200 vessels) plays an important role in the economy. The most important catches are herring, salmon and cod.
All underground resources are owned by the State. Natural gas and oil are the most important. The main industries are dedicated to the processing of food, the production of steel and metals, and the manufacture of chemical and pharmaceutical products.
The currency unit is the Danish krone.
History
After 1880 the Social Democratic Party played an important role in the workers’ movement and in the struggle for a democratic constitution. In 1901 the principle of parliamentary government was finally recognized.
In 1918 universal suffrage came into force and Denmark recognized the independence of Iceland which, in 1944, after a national referendum, proclaimed itself a sovereign republic.
In 1953 a new constitution was adopted that instituted Parliament as unicameral parliamentarism and converted Greenland into a Danish province, autonomous since 1979. Four decades of dominance of Danish politics by the Social Democratic Party ended the 1968 elections. Hilmar Baunsgaard, leader of the Liberal Radical Party, formed a government coalition that lasted until 1971, when Jens Otto Krag, social democrat, returned to office. King Frederick IX was succeeded by his daughter Margarida II in 1972. Since then, social – democratic and conservative governments have followed within the constitutional framework.
