丹麦

欧洲:

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丹麦 Denmark 首都:哥本哈根国家代码: dk

朝代

　　【国名】丹麦王国（ The Kingdom of Denmark， Kongeriget Danmark ）代码DK
　　【国名释义】在古高德语中，“丹”为“沙滩、森林”之意，“麦”为“土地、国家”之意。
　　【国旗】丹麦国旗是世界上最古老的，被称为“丹麦人的力量”。呈长方形，长与宽之比为３７∶２８。旗地为红色，旗面上有白色十字形图案，稍偏左侧。据丹麦史诗记载，公元１２１９年丹麦国王瓦尔德玛·维克托里斯（也称胜利王）率军对爱沙尼亚异教徒征战。６月１５日隆达尼斯战斗中，丹军陷入困境。突然，一面带有白色十字的红旗从天而降，并伴随着一个响亮的声音：“抓住这面旗帜就是胜
　　利！”在这面旗帜的鼓舞下，丹军奋勇作战，转败为胜。此后白色十字红旗就成为丹麦王国的国旗。至今每年６月１５日，丹麦都要庆祝“国旗日”即“瓦尔德玛日”。
　　【国徽】为盾徽。金色的盾面上横置着三只头戴王冠的蓝色狮子，周围点缀着九颗红心。狮子和红心象征勇敢、忠诚、善良。盾上端是一顶华丽的王冠，象征丹麦是一个古老的王国。
　　【国花】红三叶草（豆科）
　　【面积】 4.31万平方公里（不包括格陵兰和法罗群岛）。
　　【人口】 541.1 万人（ 2005 年 1 月），丹麦人约占 95 ％，外国移民约占 5 ％。官方语言为丹麦语，英语为通用语。 86.6 ％的居民信奉基督教路德宗， 0.6 ％的居民信奉罗马天主教。
　　【首都】哥本哈根（ Copenhagen ， Koebenhavn ），人口 50.2 万（ 2005 年 1 月）。
　　【国家元首】女王玛格丽特二世（ Margrethe II ）， 1972 年 1 月 14 日即位。
　　【货币】丹麦克朗
　　【重要节日】国庆日： 4 月 16 日，女王玛格丽特二世生日。宪法日： 6 月 5 日，为纪念 1849 年 6 月 5 日颁布的丹麦王国宪法。
　　【简况】位于欧洲北部，日德兰半岛上。南同德国接壤，西濒北海，北与挪威、瑞典隔海相望。海岸线长 7314 公里。地势低平，平均海拔约 30 米。属温带海洋性气候。平均气温 1 月－ 2.4 ℃ ， 8 月 14.6 ℃ 。年均降水量约 860 毫米。
　　【历史】公元 985 年形成统一王国。公元 8 ～ 12 世纪为强盛的海盗时期，曾征服现英国、挪威、法国莱茵河畔等地区。 14 世纪走向强盛，并于 1397 年成立以丹麦女王玛格丽特一世为盟主的卡尔马联盟，疆土包括现丹麦、挪威、瑞典、冰岛、格陵兰、法罗群岛以及芬兰的一部分。 15 世纪末开始衰落。 1523 年瑞典脱离联盟独立。 1814 年将挪割予瑞典。1849 年建立君主立宪政体。两次世界大战中均宣布中立。 1940 年 4 月至 1945 年 5 月被纳粹德国占领。 1944 年冰岛脱离丹独立。 1949 年加入北约， 1973 年加入欧共体。拥有对格陵兰和法罗群岛的主权。
　　【政治】 2004 年丹麦政局稳定，执政两党自由党、保守党合作良好。政府继续在医疗卫生、养老、移民及税收等领域深化改革，推出地方行政改革方案，并于 10 月调整内阁成员。主要反对党社民党力量有所恢复，民调支持率止跌，但政治主张缺乏新意，无法对现政府的执政地位形成有力挑战。 2005 年 2 月 8 日，丹麦举行全国议会选举。在极右的人民党支持下，自由党和保守党再次组成两党联合政府。
　　【宪法】现行宪法于 1915 年制定，1920 年、1953 年两度修改。宪法规定，丹实行君主立宪制。经议会 5/6 多数通过，政府可将一定范围内的主权交给某种 “ 国际机构 ” 。
　　【议会】一院制，共 179 个议席。议员经普选产生，任期四年。本届议会于 2005 年 2 月 8 日大选后产生，由自由党（ 52 席）、社会民主党（ 47 席）、保守党（ 18 席）、社会主义人民党（ 11 席）、丹麦人民党（ 24 席）、激进党（ 17 席）和红绿联盟（ 6 席） 7 党组成。此外，格陵兰和法罗群岛各占 2 席。议长由克里斯蒂安 · 麦达尔（ Christian Mejdahl ，自由党人）连任。
　　【政府】本届政府系自由党和保守党联合政府，共设 18 个部，内阁大臣中自由党 12 人，保守党 7 人。首相安诺斯 · 福格 · 拉斯穆森（ Anders Fogh Rasmussen ，自由党），其他阁员有：副首相兼经济、贸工大臣本特 · 本特森（ Bendt Bendtsen ，保守党），外交大臣佩尔 · 斯蒂 · 默勒（ Per Stig M?ller ，保守党），财政大臣托尔 · 彼泽森（ Thor Pedersen ，自由党），就业大臣克劳斯 · 约尔特 · 弗雷泽里克森（ Claus Hjort Frederiksen ，自由党），司法大臣莱娜 · 埃斯珀森（ Lene Espersen ，女，保守党），文化大臣布里安 · 米克尔森（ Brian Mikkelsen ，保守党），教育兼宗教大臣贝特尔 · 霍德（ Bertel Haarder ，自由党），税务大臣克里斯蒂安 · 延森（ Kristian Jensen ，自由党），交通和能源大臣弗莱明 · 汉森（ Flemming Hansen ，保守党），科技创新大臣黑尔厄 · 桑德（ Helge Sander ，自由党），食品、农业和渔业大臣汉斯 · 克里斯蒂安 · 施密特（ Hans Christian Schmidt ，自由党），国防大臣瑟伦 · 加德 · 延森（ Soeren Gade Jensen, 自由党），环境兼北欧合作大臣康妮 · 赫泽高（ Connie Hedegaard ，女，保守党），内政和卫生大臣拉尔斯 · 勒克 · 拉斯穆森（ Lars L?kke Rasmussen ，自由党），发展援助大臣乌拉 · 特尔奈斯（ Ulla T?rn?s ，女，自由党），难民、移民和社会融合大臣丽克 · 维尔斯赫伊（ Rikke Hvilsh?j ，女，自由党），社会事务和平等大臣埃娃 · 凯尔 · 汉森（ Eva Kjer Hansen, 女，自由党） , 家庭与消费者事务大臣拉尔斯 · 巴弗兹（ Lars Barfoed, 保守党）。
　　【主要网址】丹麦王室： www.kongehuset.dk ；议会： www.folketinget.dk ；首相府： www.stm.dk ；外交部： www.um.dk
　　
　　【行政区划】
　　丹麦被划分为13个郡(amtskommune 直译为“自治市”)以及271个直辖市(kommune) , 3个市政当局拥有县级特权 , 市长都是本地居民直选。
　　郡：
　　* 菲特烈堡(郡) (Frederiksborg)
　　* 菲茵 (Fyn)
　　* 哥本哈根(郡) (København)
　　* 北日德兰 (Nordjylland)
　　* 里伯 (Ribe)
　　* 灵克宾 (Ringkøbing)
　　* 罗斯基勒 (Roskilde)
　　* 南日德兰 (Sønderjylland)
　　* 斯多斯特姆 (Storstrøm)
　　* 维厄勒 (Vejle)
　　* 维堡 (Viborg)
　　* 西希兰 (Vestsjælland)
　　* 奥胡斯（奥尔胡斯） (Århus)
　　直辖市：
　　* 博恩霍尔姆 (kommune, Bornholm)
　　* 菲特烈堡(kommune, Frederiksberg)
　　* 哥本哈根(kommune, Københavns)
　　格陵兰和法罗群岛也是丹麦王国的领土，但拥有自治权并且享有高度自治，在议会各拥有2席。法罗群岛自行划分为7个郡50个县；格陵兰人口少，没有再划分行政区域。
　　【司法机构】法院分三级。全国有 1 所最高法院、 2 所国家法院和 82 所地方法院。此外，还有海事与商业法院、特别诉讼法院等专门法院。最高法院由 1 名院长和 17 名法官组成，院长和法官由政府（司法大臣）推荐，女王任命，任职到退休。法院独立行使职权。最高法院院长托本 · 梅尔基奥尔（ Torben Melchior ， 2004 年 12 月 1 日上任）。检察机构隶属司法部，设总检察长 1 名和检察官 9 名，均由女王任命，任职到退休。总检察长赫宁 · 弗德（ Henning Fode ）。议会监察官汉斯 · 格莫托夫特－汉森（ Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen ）。
　　
　　【政党】
　　（ 1 ）自由党（ The Liberal Party ）：执政党， 1870 年成立，为丹麦最古老政党。党员 6.98 万人。支持欧盟合作，主张自由竞争，反对中央集权。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 29 ％ , 系丹第一大党，主席安诺斯 · 福格 · 拉斯穆森。
　　（ 2 ）保守人民党（ The Conservative People's Party ）：执政党，简称保守党， 1916 年成立。党员 1.99 万人。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 10.3 ％ , 主张坚持私有制和自由贸易，积极参与国际合作。主席本特 · 本特森（ Bendt Bendtsen ）。
　　（ 3 ）社会民主党（ The Social Democratic Party ）：在野党， 1871 年成立。党员 5.2 万人。曾长期单独或与其他政党联合执政。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 25.8 ％，丹第二大政党和最大的反对党。主张保持和发展福利制度，积极参与国际合作。主席赫勒 · 托宁 - 施密特（ Helle Thorning-Schmidt ）。
　　（ 4 ）丹麦人民党（ The Danish People's Party ）：在野党， 1995 年 10 月由退出进步党的议员组成。党员 6615 人。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 13.3 ％。有强烈的民族主义色彩，反对国际合作。主席皮娅 · 克亚斯高（ Pia Kjaersgaard ，女）。
　　（ 5 ）社会主义人民党（ The Socialist People's Party ）：在野党， 1959 年从丹麦共产党分裂而成。党员 8375 人。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 6 ％。重视人权、民主和环保，支持裁军，主张在平等、自愿的基础上参与国际合作。主席维力 · 须夫丹勒（ Villy S?vndal ）。
　　（ 6 ）激进自由党（ The Danish Social-Liberal Party ）：在野党，简称激进党， 1905 年成立。党员 8600 余人。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 9.2 ％。重视个人尊严、自由及环境问题，主张参与国际合作。主席玛丽安娜 · 耶尔韦（ Marianne Jelved ，女）。
　　（ 7 ）红绿联盟（ Enhedslisten Party ）：在野党， 1989 年由原丹麦共产党、共产主义工人党及反欧盟势力组建。反对加入欧盟合作、力主裁减军费、降低失业率、加强环境保护等。党员 2524 人。 1994 年 9 月第一次进入议会。 2005 年 2 月大选支持率 3.4 ％。采取集体领导制。
　　此外，丹还有基督教民主党（ The Christian Democratic Party ）、中央民主党（ The Central Democratic Party ）和少数党（ Minority's Party ）等三个议会外政党。
　　
　　【重要人物】
　　玛格丽特二世：女王。 1940 年 4 月 16 日生于哥本哈根。曾就读于丹麦哥本哈根大学、奥胡斯大学、法国巴黎大学、英国剑桥大学和伦敦经济学院。 1972 年 1 月 14 日登基。 1967 年 6 月 10 日与亨里克亲王（ Henrik, 法国伯爵）结婚。有二子，长子腓特烈王储（ Frederik ），次子约阿希姆亲王（ Joachim ）。女王性格开朗，兴趣广泛。在考古、美术和文学方面颇有造诣。曾于 1979 年访华。安诺斯 · 福格 · 拉斯穆森（ ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN ）：首相，自由党人。生于 1953 年 1 月。奥胡斯大学经济学硕士。 1978 年当选议员， 1985 年当选自由党副主席， 1987 － 1992 年任税务大臣，其中 1990 － 1992 年兼任经济大臣， 1998 年当选自由党主席， 2001 年 11 月当选首相， 2005 年 2 月大选后连任。曾于 2004 年访华。
　　安徒生（Hans Christian Andersen，1805～1875）丹麦作家。1805年4月2日生于丹麦富恩岛欧登塞市的贫民区，父亲是个穷鞋匠,在他很小的时候便因病去世，母亲是一位洗衣工。安徒生从小就为贫困所折磨，先后在几家店铺里做学徒，后在哥本哈根皇家剧院当配角演员，后因嗓子失润被解雇。从此开始学习写作，1827年发表第一首诗《垂死的小孩》，1829年进入哥本哈根大学学习。他的第一部重要作品《1828和1829年从霍尔门运河至阿迈厄岛东角步行记》于1829 年问世。这部游记的出版使安徒生得到了社会的初步承认。此后他继续从事戏剧创作。1833年去意大利，创作了一部诗剧《埃格内特和美人鱼》和一部以意大利为背景的长篇小说《即兴诗人》(1835年)。小说出版后不久就被翻译成德文和英文，标志着作者开始享有国际声誉。1840至1857年，安徒生访问了挪威、瑞典、德国、法国、意大利、西班牙、葡萄牙、希腊、小亚细亚和非洲，在旅途中写了不少游记，他在德、法等国会见了许多知名的作家和艺术家，1847年在英国结识了狄更斯。他一生未婚。1875年8月4日在哥本哈根梅尔彻的宅邸去世。这位童话大师一生共写了160多篇童话和故事。他的作品被译成80多种语言。安徒生的童话故事想象丰富、思想深刻、充满诗意、引人入胜，体现了丹麦文学中的民主传统和现实主义倾向，如《卖火柴的小女孩》、《丑小鸭》、《看门人的儿子》等，既真实地描绘了穷苦人的悲惨生活，又渗透着浪漫主义的情调和幻想。作品还有《海的女儿》、《皇帝的新装》、《夜莺》、《白雪皇后》等。在语言风格上，安徒生是一个有高度创造性的作家，在作品中大量运用丹麦下层人民的日常口语和民间故事的结构形式。语言生动、自然、流畅、优美，充满浓郁的乡土气息。安徒生的作品很早就被介绍到中国，《新青年》杂志1919年1月号刊载了周作人所译的《卖火柴的小女孩》的译文。1942年，北京新潮社出版了林兰、张近芬合译的《旅伴》。此后，商务印书馆、中华书局和开明书店陆续出版了安徒生童话的译本、安徒生传及其作品的评论，译者有郑振铎、茅盾、赵景深、顾均正等。不过解放前的译本都是从英语、日语或其他国家文字转译过来的。解放后，著名作家、翻译家叶君健对安徒生原著进行了系统的研究，直接从丹麦文把安徒生的童话故事全部译成中文。人民文学出版社于1955、1958、1978年多次出版了叶君健先生译的《安徒生童话选集》。1988年8月，叶君健因毕生从事安徒生著作的翻译，并将这位丹麦童话作家的作品全部翻译成中文而荣获丹麦女王玛格丽特二世颁发的丹麦国旗勋章。
　　伊萨克·迪内森（Isak Dinesen）：丹麦著名女作家，原名卡琳 ·布利克森（Karin Blixen），1885年4月17日生于西兰岛伦斯特德一个贵族家庭。早年就读于丹麦艺术学院，后在巴黎和罗马学习绘画。1914年随男爵丈夫旅居肯尼亚，经营一个咖啡农场。1931年世界经济大萧条时返回丹麦。后来从事文学创作。1934年发表描写非洲生活的小说集《七个神奇的故事》（Seven Gothic Tales），这本书在丹麦不大受欢迎，在美国却成为畅销书。 1937年她的第二部作品自传体小说《走出非洲》（Out of Africa）出版，小说叙述她在肯尼亚悲欢离合的生活，缠绵悱恻，扣人心弦。作者用优美的文字写出了对非洲风土人情的熟悉和眷恋，处处洋溢着散文美的内涵。后来，小说《走出非洲》被搬上银幕，并得获奥斯卡奖。迪内森1943年出版了短篇小说集《冬天的故事》（Winter's Tales）。二战期间，丹麦被纳粹占领，迪内森用皮尔·安德烈塞尔的化名写了小说《天使的复仇》（1944年），对法西斯侵略者进行嘲讽。晚年她遭受疾病折磨，但仍坚持写作，在战后出版了小说《最后的故事》（1947年）、《命运的轶事》（1958年）和《草坪上的影子》（Shadows on the Grass）（1960年）。1962年9月7日在哥本哈根附近的伦斯特伦德逝世。迪纳森的作品朴素清新，富于幻想，具有荷马史诗和《天方夜谭》的风格，引人入胜，颇有国际影响。英国评论家约翰·达文波特赞扬道：“在我们这个时代很少有作家象她那样写得少而精。”海明威在接受1954年诺贝尔文学奖金的典礼上还说过：“如果这笔奖金授予美丽的作家伊萨克·迪纳森，我会更高兴。”
　　尼尔斯·玻尔（Niels Bohr，1885－1962）：近代著名的物理学家、原子核物理学创始人。1885年10月7日生于哥本哈根。1905年，20岁的玻尔写出的关于水表面张力测量的论文获得了丹麦科学院金质奖章。1911年获哥本哈根大学博士学位后开始研究金属中电子运动的理论，并自1912年起担任著名物理学家卢瑟福的助手。1913年初，玻尔提出了他著名的原子理论，这个理论随即被用于分析各种谱线，获得了巨大的成功。他对原子结构模型的研究成果，使他获得了1922年的诺贝尔物理奖。玻尔接着提出了著名的“对应原理”。 1943年，玻尔逃离纳粹占领下的丹麦，经过瑞典转道英国，不久后到达美国，马上参与了原子弹的研制工作。在原子弹尚未试验之前，玻尔就指出，如果原子能掌握在世界上爱好和平的人民手中，这种能量就会保障世界的持久和平；如果它被滥用，就会导致文明的毁灭。第二次世界大战结束后，玻尔极力主张和平利用原子能和控制原子武器的政策。在他的倡导下，1955年在日内瓦召开了“原子能和平利用”第一次国际会议，玻尔本人也于1957年获得美国首届和平利用原子能奖。玻尔对中国的文化和中国人民一直有着深厚的感情，他的徽章上用的就是中国阴阳太极的图案。1937年夏天，玻尔夫妇和儿子汉斯来中国，访问了上海、杭州、南京、北平等地。他在前中央研究院、浙大、北大等单位做了关于原子和原子核的演讲。
　　
　　【经济】
　　丹麦是发达的西方工业国家，人均国内生产总值居世界前列。农牧渔业及食品加工业发达，在许多工业领域有先进的生产技术和经验。近年来，政府坚持适度紧缩的财政政策，采取积极措施稳定金融市场及汇率。2000年9月28日丹全民公决否决加入欧元区后，仍坚持以“汇率挂钩”和“利率紧随”为主要特征的“准欧元政策”。2004年，丹政府继续实施税收零增长政策，扶持高新技术和生物技术产业发展，刺激市场投资与消费，国民生产总值和外贸额持续上升，国际收支与公共财政盈余不断扩大，通胀率保持稳定。丹在“世界经济论坛（WEF） ” 2005-2006年度全球竞争力排名中名列第四。
　　2004 年主要经济指标如下：
　　国内生产总值： 2336 亿美元。
　　人均国内生产总值： 4.3 万美元。
　　经济增长率 : 2 ％。
　　货币名称：丹麦克朗（ KRONE ）， 1 克朗 =100 欧尔。
　　汇率： 1 美元＝ 6.14 丹麦克朗； 1 欧元＝ 9.3 丹麦克朗。
　　通货膨胀率： 1.2 ％。
　　失业率： 6. 0％。
　　（资料来源： 2005 丹麦统计年鉴。以下资料来源除特别标明外均与此同。）
　　【资源】自然资源较贫乏。除石油和天然气外，其他矿藏很少，所需煤炭全部靠进口。北海大陆架石油蕴藏量估计为 2.9 亿吨，天然气蕴藏量约 2000 亿立方米。 1972 年起开采石油， 2000 年产油 1773 万吨，为欧洲第 3 大石油输出国。探明褐煤储量 9000 万立方米。森林覆盖面积 48.6 万公顷，覆盖率约 10 ％。北海和波罗的海为近海重要渔场。
　　【工业】工业在国民经济中占主导地位。 2003 年工业总产值达 5423.7 亿丹麦克朗，约占国内生产总值的 38.9% 。从业人数 42.3 万，占就业总人数的 15.3 ％。主要工业部门有：食品加工、机械制造、石油开采、造船、水泥、电子、化工、冶金、医药、纺织、家具、造纸和印刷设备等。产品 60 ％以上供出口，约占出口总额的 75 ％。船用主机、水泥设备、助听器、酶制剂和人造胰岛素等产品享誉世界。企业以中小型为主。主要工业部门产值如下（单位：亿克朗）：
　　2001
　　2002
　　2003
　　食品工业
　　1238.0
　　1316.3
　　1305.9
　　机械制造
　　624.4
　　625.0
　　622.4
　　电子工业
　　622.7
　　619.1
　　596.3
　　化学工业
　　556.6
　　605.4
　　602.8
　　采矿、冶金
　　410.7
　　404.5
　　417.1
　　服装、纺织
　　142.5
　　126.9
　　110.5
　　石油加工
　　159.5
　　145.5
　　146.7
　　木材加工
　　122.3
　　119.5
　　120.6
　　【农业】农牧业高度发达。近年受欧盟共同农业政策影响较深，农业在国民经济中所占份额逐年下降，但在外贸中仍占较大比重。 2003 年农牧业总产值（包括渔业、林业）为 644.93 亿克朗，占当年国内生产总值的 4.6 ％。农牧结合，以牧为主，蓄牧业、林业产值 606.12 亿克朗，占农业总产值的 94 ％。有耕地 265.8 万公顷，农场 4.86 万个，从业人员 10.1 万，占就业总人数的 3.6 ％。农业科技水平和生产率居世界先进国家之列。农畜产品除满足国内市场外，约 65 ％供出口，占出口总额的 10.6 ％，猪肉、奶酪和黄油出口量居世界前列。丹是世界上最大的貂皮生产国， 2003 年有貂场 1998 个，产貂皮约 1220 万张。
　　2003 年家畜存栏数：牛 172.4 万头，其中奶牛 59.6 万头，羊 14.4 万只，猪 1295 万头，马 4.3 万匹；家禽存栏数 1715.2 万只。产奶 467.5 万吨，蛋 1260 吨。主要农作物产量如下（单位：万吨）：
　　2001
　　2002
　　2003
　　谷物
　　975.5
　　880.7
　　905.1
　　油菜
　　21.2
　　21.8
　　35.4
　　豆类
　　11.5
　　15.0
　　12.4
　　麦杆
　　356.8
　　366.3
　　341.6
　　甜菜
　　314.9
　　338.5
　　285.7
　　【渔业】世界第 15 、欧洲第 2 、欧盟最大渔业国，捕鱼量约占欧盟捕鱼总量的 36 ％。 2002 年总捕鱼量约 132.8 万吨，主要有鳕鱼、比目鱼、鲭鱼、鳗鱼和虾等，主要用于生产鱼油和鱼肉。至 2002 年底共有渔船 2457 艘，总吨位 9.8 万吨。 2003 年渔业产值 38.81 亿克朗。
　　【服务业】服务业发达，主要包括商业、电信、金融、保险、旅游和技术服务等。 2003 年产值达 7450 亿克朗，约占当年国内生产总值的 53.4 ％。
　　【交通运输】海、陆、空交通发达。商船主要从事国际运输。
　　铁路： 2003 年有国营铁路 2284 公里，私营铁路 495 公里。客运量 55.48 亿人公里，货运量 20.91 亿吨公里。
　　公路： 2003 年总长约 7.2 万公里，其中高速公路 1009 公里。 2003 年共有各种汽车约 250 万辆，其中小轿车 188.8 万辆、货车 38.9 万辆、公共汽车 1.4 万辆。公路国内货运量为 110.57 亿吨公里。
　　水运： 2003 年 20 吨以上商船 1838 艘 , 总吨位 739.1 万吨。客运量为 2.45 亿人公里，货运量为 821.9 万吨。全国有港口 124 个，菲德烈西亚港、凯隆堡港、哥本哈根港和奥胡斯港货运量居前列。
　　空运：共有 23 个机场，民用飞机 1124 架。北欧航空公司为瑞典、丹麦和挪威共有，丹麦占 2/7 股份。哥本哈根卡斯楚普机场是丹最大航空港，也是欧洲北部重要航空枢纽。 2002 年空运乘客 3.04 亿人次，货物 11.2 万吨。
　　【财政金融】近几年公共财政情况如下（亿克朗）：
　　2000
　　2001
　　2002
　　收入
　　7269
　　7548
　　7636
　　支出
　　6902
　　7182
　　7425
　　差额
　　367
　　366
　　211
　　内债
　　4395
　　4619
　　4651
　　外债
　　2190
　　2350
　　2471
　　BANK ）、联合银行（ UNIBANK － GROUP ）和 BG 银行（ BG DANSKE 2003 年，国家银行黄金储备约为 53 亿克朗（约合 8.04 亿美元），外汇储备 2363 亿克朗。 2002 年有银行 180 家，雇员约 4 万人。其中最大的三家银行为丹麦银行（ DEN BANK ）。 2000 年 3 月，联合银行与瑞芬合资的梅丽塔北欧银行（ Merita Nordbank ）合并，名称仍为联合银行。
　　银行名称
　　成立时间
　　资产额
　　（亿克朗）
　　雇员数（万人）
　　丹麦银行
　　1989 年
　　3381.5
　　1.2
　　联合银行
　　1990 年
　　2217.9
　　1.1
　　BG 银行
　　1995 年
　　1720.1
　　0.53
　　【对外贸易】外贸是丹经济命脉。主要原料靠进口，产品销售依赖国际市场。政府制订优惠政策，鼓励产品出口。同 100 多个国家和地区有贸易往来， 1987 年以来一直保持较大顺差。主要进口产品为运输设备、电信产品、纸张、原油、煤炭、钢铁、机械和饲料等。主要出口产品为乳制品、肉、鱼、家具、医药、电子产品、仪表、船舶、纺织品和服装等。对外贸易情况如下（单位：亿克朗）：
　　2001 2002 2003
　　外贸总额 7925 8267 8134
　　进口额 3696 3844 3767
　　出口额 4229 4423 4366
　　差额 +533 +579 +599
　　2003 年丹与主要贸易伙伴经贸情况（单位：亿克朗）：
　　出口进口
　　欧盟 2865.74 2667.32
　　德国 824.53 858.86
　　瑞典 553.05 488.16
　　英国 364.57 297.97
　　荷兰 204.36 261.67
　　挪威 245.16 167.21
　　【对外投资】 2002 年对外直接投资 357 亿克朗，外国对丹直接投资 437 亿克朗。 ( 资料来源：丹麦国家银行 )
　　【对外援助】 2003 年丹对外援助总额为 104.5 亿克朗，占当年国内生产总值的 0.7 ％。援助重点为难民、医疗卫生和农村发展。主要受援国有加纳、莫桑比克、孟加拉、尼加拉瓜等。
　　
　　【著名公司】
　　A.P. 穆勒集团（ A.P.Moeller Group ）：成立于 1904 年。主要经营造船和海上运输、石油、天然气勘探与开发、航空运输、商品零售等。有子公司 70 家，分布 100 个国家，员工 6 万余人。下属的两家主要分公司斯汶堡汽轮公司和 1912 汽轮公司在 2003 年《商业周刊》评选中分列世界 1000 强企业中的 346 和 359 位（以市值计算）。 1999 年其下属的马士基船运公司（ Maersk Line ）兼并美国海陆航运公司，组成世界最大集装箱船运公司，并改名为马士基海陆船运公司（ Maersk Sealand ）。在北京、上海、大连、天津等地设有分公司，在南京、广州、重庆等地设有办事处。
　　诺和集团（ Novo Group ）：原诺和诺德集团（ Novo Nordisk ），成立于 1923 年。世界著名医药和生化制品集团公司，生产的胰岛素和酶制剂分别占世界市场份额的 50 ％和 40 ％以上。在 68 个国家和地区设有子公司或办事处，共有员工 1.6 万人。 2000 年 11 月正式分为两公司，负责制药业务的公司沿用原名称，负责酶制剂业务的公司改名为诺维信（ Novozymes ）。 1995 年该集团投资约 2 亿美元在天津设厂，是丹在华最大企业。
　　丹佛斯集团（ Danfoss ）：丹最大工业企业，主要生产采暖、制冷和传动及速控温控元件。在世界不少国家有子公司，共有雇员 1.7 万人。 1995 年在天津建立丹佛斯（天津）有限公司，主要生产散热器恒温控制阀、热力膨胀阀、水阀、冷凝机组和相关产品。
　　乐高公司（ Lego )　：是一家丹麦的玩具公司，亦指该公司出品的积木玩具，由五彩的塑料积木、齿轮、迷你小人和各种不同其他零件，组成各种事物。
　　该公司与多个娱乐公司有合作，如迪士尼、时代华纳。例如在哈利波特和星球大战等电影在美国上映前后，乐高就会推出相应主题玩具。
　　
　　【人民生活】
　　以高福利、高收入、高税收、高消费为特征。 2002 年社会福利（教育、医疗卫生、社会保障、住房等）开支为 3958.89 亿克朗，约占当年国内生产总值的 28.4 ％。 2002 年人均收入 22.18 万克朗。 2003 年失业人数约为 17.1 万人。全国有医生 9400 人，病床 2.6 万张。私人住宅拥有率 53 ％，别墅拥有率 11 ％，手机使用率 68 ％，家庭电脑拥有率 70 ％，上网率 79 ％。每千人拥有医生 2.5 名，洗衣机 740 台、电视机 575 台，小轿车 343 辆、电话 613 部、传真机 120 部。
　　
　　【军事】
　　根据丹麦宪法，玛格丽特二世女王是武装力量最高统帅。国防部是武装力量最高行政机关，国防大臣为文职，向议会和首相负责，对武装力量实施行政领导。国防司令部是武装力量最高指挥机构，负责丹三军的作战、训练和后勤保障。现任国防司令是汉斯 · 杰斯帕 · 赫尔旭（ Hans Jesper Hels?,2002 年 5 月上任），国防参谋长为蒂姆 · 斯洛斯 · 约根森（ Tim Sloth J?rgensen ）。实行义务兵与志愿兵相结合的兵役制。义务兵服役期 8 ～ 12 个月，志愿兵服役期为 54 ～ 72 个月。
　　丹麦武装力量由陆、海、空三军和国民卫队组成，其中陆、海、空三军为现役正规军队。截至 2004 年年底，丹军总员额 20550 人，陆军、海军和空军兵力分别为 12550 人（占总兵力的 61.1% ）、 3800 人（占 18.5% ）和 6471 人（占 20.4% ）。其中，陆军装备主战坦克 281 辆、装甲车 732 辆、 100 毫米以上口径的火炮 315 余门、直升机 25 架；海军编成水面舰艇部队（下设 6 个中队）和海防舰艇部队（分辖 3 个海区），主要装备舰艇 64 艘 ( 其中护卫舰 7 艘、巡逻艇 36 艘、用于侦察和渔业监护的直升机 8 架 ) ；空军编为 6 个航空兵中队（其中 4 个战斗机中队、 1 个运输机中队、 1 个直升机中队）、 1 个雷达中队（辖 6 个雷达站），装备各种飞机 111 架（其中 F － 16A/B 型战斗机 68 架、 C － 130 型运输机 3 架）。
　　2004 年国防预算为 164.92 亿克朗，相当于国内生产总值的 1.2 ％。 2005 年预算总额为 186 亿丹麦克朗，约占财政年度预算的 4% 。（资料来源：丹麦国防部）
　　
　　【文化教育】
　　丹麦培育了以童话闻名于世的著名作家安徒生、哲学家克尔恺郭尔(Søren Kierkegaard) ，物理学家尼尔斯·玻尔，他和学生沃纳·海森堡一起创立的著名量子力学学派就称为“哥本哈根学派”。到目前为止共有 13 位丹麦人获诺贝尔奖。在生物学、环境学、气象学、免疫学等方面处于世界领先地位。奉行使每个社会成员在文化方面具有平等发展的文化方针，鼓励地方发展文化事业。
　　丹麦的银器设计也相当有名，如乔治·延森是经典的银器艺术家。
　　【文化】 2003 年全国有公共图书馆 5178 所，各类博物馆 271 所， 96.15 万参观人次。全国共拥有影院 162 所，全年播放国内外电影 616 部。
　　【教育】教育事业发达。 1973 年起实行九年制免费义务教育。 2002 年全国共有学校 3520 所，学生 111.8 万人，其中小学 2791 所，学生 67.9 万人；高中 307 所，学生 6.9 万人；职业学校 164 所，学生 17.2 万人；综合性大学 5 所，学生 7.4 万人；师范、技术、农业、商业、艺术、音乐等院校 153 所，学生 10.4 万人。最著名的高等学府有哥本哈根大学（建于 1479 年 , 2003 年约有学生 3.5 万人）、奥胡斯大学（建于 1928 年， 2003 年约有学生 2.1 万人）、丹麦技术大学和皇家兽医和农业大学。 2003 年国家教育经费预算为 301.7 亿克朗，约占当年国内生产总值的 2.2% 。
　　【新闻出版】 2003 年，全国有日报 32 种，发行量 137.8 万份，周日报 10 种，发行量 125.1 万份，期刊杂志 109 种，技术及地方报刊 278 种。主要报纸发行量如下（括号内为创刊年）：《日德兰邮报》（ 1871 年），平日版 17.2 万份，周日版 23.1 万份；《贝林时报》（ 1749 年），平日版 14.2 万份，周日版 16.5 万份；《政治报》（ 1884 年），平日版 13.7 万份，周日版 17.3 万份。
　　丹麦通讯社（ Ritzaus Bureau ）： 1866 年创建。丹唯一的全国性通讯社，由各大报纸合办。
　　丹麦广播公司： 1925 年创立。丹麦最大的全国性广播电台和电视台。
　　丹麦电视二台： 1988 年创立， 1989 年开播。
　　
　　【对外关系】
　　冷战结束后，丹麦对传统上以北约、欧共体、北欧合作和联合国为支柱的外交政策进行了调整，突出以欧盟为重点，并增加了“共同安全、民主和人权、经济和社会发展及环境” 等内容。丹重视欧盟建设，坚持依托北约，加强欧洲安全合作，积极拓展以北欧合作为基础的环波罗的海合作，重视联合国的地位和作用，积极参与联合国维和行动。同154 个国家建立了外交关系。
　　【对当前重大国际问题的态度】
　　关于国际形势：认为国际形势总体趋向缓和，但恐怖主义、民族和宗教问题等非传统安全因素已成为威胁国际安全与稳定的突出问题， “9·11” 事件对世界政治和安全格局影响深远。认为世界政治形势向多极化方向发展，但美国“一超” 地位短期内不会受到挑战，相反却有进一步加强的趋势。主张各大国间应加强对话和合作，共同应对面临的挑战。
　　关于联合国作用和改革：视联合国为国际社会构架的基础和国际安全与稳定的保障。认为联合国须在伊战后重树权威，发挥更大作用。支持安理会改革，主张增加常任和非常任理事国数目，限制使用否决权。积极参与联合国事务， 2004 年 10 月当选安理会 2005 － 2006 年非常任理事国。
　　关于国际反恐：谴责各种形式的恐怖主义，重视建立全球反恐联盟，支持反恐斗争。认为贫穷落后是滋生恐怖主义的温床，强调重视发展问题有助于从根本上消除恐怖主义。“9·11”后，丹国内出台反恐法案，支持并参与美国和北约打击恐怖主义的军事行动及联合国有关维和行动。于 2005 年 3 月出任安理会反恐委员会主席一职。
　　关于美国建立国家导弹防御系统问题：主张有关国家应严肃对待大规模杀伤性武器的扩散问题，支持美建立NMD 计划， 2004年与美签署协定，同意将格陵兰图勒基地纳入美导弹防御系统。
　　关于人权和民主问题：视人权和民主为其外交政策的基石之一，奉行将保护人权和少数民族权利置于国家主权之上的 “ 积极的人权政策” ，主张所有国家和地区认同和遵守国际公认的人权标准。支持和推行 “人权高于主权” 、西方的自由、民主、人权等价值观念，认为在特殊情况下，可以政治和人道原因为由进行“人道主义干涉” 。
　　关于欧洲形势：认为当前欧洲大规模军事威胁的可能性减小，但局部冲突凸显，影响欧洲安全的因素主要来自对民主、人权等共同价值观念的威胁及有组织犯罪、难民潮和环境污染等。主张加强欧洲在预防和控制危机方面的能力以及反恐领域的合作，支持建立欧盟快速反应部队，以更加有效地预防和控制本地区危机，但同时强调不能以削弱北约在欧洲的作用和存在为代价。
　　关于欧盟合作和欧元：视欧盟合作为其外交政策的核心内容，但在欧盟共同货币（欧元）、共同防务、司法及欧洲公民权等合作领域有 “ 四项保留” 。支持欧盟东扩和深化一体化建设，支持欧盟制宪，但要求维护小国利益，不赞成欧盟发展成 “ 联邦欧洲” 。上届政府曾于 2000 年 9 月 28 日就加入欧元举行全民公决，结果以 53.1% 否决加入欧元区，使其取消 “ 四项保留 ” 、加强欧盟合作的努力受到重挫。随着欧盟东扩和欧盟合作的深入发展，丹 “ 四项保留” 特别是在防务、司法合作方面的保留开始凸显负面效应。丹正考虑以某种方式在司法领域取得突破。
　　关于中东问题：认为国际社会应对中东问题予以更多关注，促进中东地区各方的互信与合作，以避免不同文明之间的冲突和原教旨主义的蔓延。强调美在解决中东危机中不可替代的作用，主张欧盟与中东 - 环地中海国家建立战略伙伴关系，积极促进中东和平进程。呼吁以从加沙地带撤军。承诺增加对中东地区的民主援助以改善该地区民主、人权和实施良政，但以执行更为 “ 中立、平衡 ” 的中东政策为由，取消了一些援巴项目。
　　关于朝核问题：支持朝鲜半岛无核化及和平解决朝核问题，要求朝放弃发展核武，呼吁美朝通过对话改善关系。高度评价我主持六方会谈，认为中国在朝核问题上发挥了重要作用。认为欧盟可在适当时机参与解决进程，特别是在促进朝鲜发展经济及推动朝融入国际社会方面发挥作用。每年向朝提供约 1500 万克朗（约合259 万美元）的人道主义援助。
　　关于伊朗核问题：关注伊朗核问题的发展，认为伊应与国际原子能机构合作，接受监督和核查。主张国际社会就此问题加强磋商和合作，尽快以和平方式妥善解决问题，避免伊问题危及世界和平，成为新的动乱因素。
　　关于伊拉克问题：支持美采取军事行动推翻萨政权，曾派遣护卫舰、潜艇各一艘以及150 多名士兵参战。主张联合国在伊战后维和、重建和推动民主建设等方面发挥更大作用，谴责伊出现的反美英占领暴力活动。积极参与伊拉克重建及“ 巴黎俱乐部 ” 关于伊债务问题谈判，支持并呼吁国际社会尽最大努力减免伊债务并提供援助，已提供 3.5 亿丹麦克朗（约合 6034 万美元）用于伊重建工作。丹驻叙利亚大使曾一度任伊巴士拉地区行政长官。2004 年在伊驻军 520 人；6 月，丹驻伊大使正式赴伊上任。
　　关于阿富汗问题：关注并参与对阿富汗的援助及战后重建工作。重点援助民主和法制建设，先后向阿提供 3 亿克朗（约合 5172 万美元）的人道主义及重建援助。通过北约向阿派有 4 架战斗机和 147 名士兵。 2004 年拨款 2350 万克朗（约合 405 万美元）专项资助阿总统选举。认为阿总统民主选举有助于打击阿极端势力，促进阿和平与稳定。选举基本公正，希阿各派尊重选举结果的合法性。 2003 年以来丹曾因强制遣返阿在丹难民并将援助与难民遣返事务挂钩受到阿政府和联合国难民署的批评。
　　【同中国的关系】
　　1950 年1 月9 日正式承认中华人民共和国， 1950 年5 月11 日建交， 1956 年2 月15 日由公使馆升格为大使馆。20世纪70 － 80 年代两国关系发展较快。先后签订了《中丹政府贸易协定和支付协定》、《中丹民航协定》、《中丹海运协定》、《中丹投资保护协定》、《中丹避免双重征税和防止偷漏税协定》等协定。
　　2004年两国关系继续发展。 2 月，丹首相拉斯穆森对中国进行工作访问。 5 月，中国全国人大常委会委员长吴邦国应邀对丹进行正式友好访问，系两国建交以来中国全国人大常委会委员长首次访丹。丹议会第一副议长斯文 · 奥肯、议会外交政策委员会、劳务市场政策委员会等代表团分别访华。两国外交部间保持着磋商与协调。 9 月，中国外长李肇星在纽约第 59 届联大期间同丹外交大臣默勒会见。 11 月，丹麦外交部常务秘书彼得森来华与张业遂副外长进行政治磋商，双方还就中国政府同意丹麦在重庆设立领事馆事互换照会。 2005 年 4 月，回良玉副总理、中央军委副主席、国务委员兼国防部长曹刚川应邀访丹。丹副首相兼经贸大臣本特森于 6 月 25 日至 7 月 2 日访华。 8 月，丹社会事务和平等大臣汉森访华。 9 月，丹文化大臣米克尔森、丹女王的丈夫亨里克亲王访华。 10 月，丹第四副议长彼得森、国防司令赫尔旭上将分别访华。11月丹第一副议长奥肯、发展援助大臣Ulla Tornaes分别访华。12月丹总检察长享宁访华。2006年1月，李铁映副委员长访丹，丹议会能源政策委员会主席瓦赛堡、交通和能源大臣汉森访华。
　　现任中国驻丹大使：甄建国（ 2002 年 9 月 10 日递交国书）。馆址： OEREGAARDSALLE 25, 2900 HELLERUP, COPENHAGEN DENMARK 。网址： www.chinaembassy.dk 。电话： 45-39460889, 45-39611013 （商务处）， 45 － 39460877 （签证处）；传真： 45-39625484 ， 45-39612913 （商务处）， 45 － 39460878 （签证处）。
　　丹麦驻中国大使：米磊 (Laurids Mikaelsen ， 2004 年 11 月 5 日递交国书 ) 。
　　馆址：北京市朝阳区三里屯东 5 街 1 号。网址： http://www.ambbeijing.um.dk/zh/ 。电话： 85329900 ；传真 : 85329999 。
　　【同美国及北约的关系】
　　丹麦是北约成员国，重视同美国和北约的磋商与合作，认为北约在维护欧洲安全和稳定方面发挥着不可替代的重要作用，美军留驻欧洲有助于保持欧洲的战略平衡。支持北约东扩，积极参与北约军事行动。支持北约新战略，认为北约的关注焦点应是欧洲－大西洋两岸的安全与稳定，但可在特殊情况下在其防区以外采取军事行动，并可在联合国授权问题上持灵活态度。认为除集体防御外，北约还担负了捍卫自由、民主、人权和保护少数民族利益等共同价值观念的责任。但对北约是否应充当世界警察表态谨慎。 2004 年 4 月，丹首相访美，代表丹麦领取美国约翰逊总统勋章，以表彰丹在二战期间保护犹太人方面作出的贡献。
　　【同欧盟的关系】
　　1973 年加入欧共体，2001 年3 月开始实施《申根协定》。作为欧盟成员国，同大多数欧洲国家关系密切。在对外政策上，奉行以欧盟政策为主体的外交政策。 1993 年，丹与欧盟在爱丁堡达成协议，不参加欧盟在欧洲货币联盟、防务、司法和欧洲公民权等方面的合作，即所谓 “ 四项保留 ” 。 2000 年，丹全民公决否决加入欧元。 2002 年下半年丹轮值欧盟主席，主持召开了 10 月布鲁塞尔非正式首脑会议和 12 月哥本哈根首脑会议，成功结束了欧盟与中、东欧十个国家的入盟谈判。2004 年，丹首相访问了两个欧盟轮值主席国荷兰与爱尔兰、英国、法国、西班牙、德国；爱尔兰总理、欧盟委员会候任主席巴罗佐访丹。
　　【同北欧邻国和波罗的海三国关系】
　　重视同北欧国家间的传统合作。认为在欧盟事务中，北欧三国应首先维护各自的利益，然后可在男女平等、就业、环保等立场基本一致的领域内寻求合作。丹和芬兰、瑞典三国继续执行欧盟峰会前的北欧首脑会晤机制。主张北欧合作更多地向环波罗的海国家开放。丹曾积极支持波海三国独立，同其他北欧国家一起最早承认并同三国建交，强调继续加强同波海三国在军事、经济、社会保障等领域的合作，积极推动环波罗的海地区合作，力图在其中发挥主导作用。 2004 年，芬兰总理、冰岛总理、拉脱维亚外长、爱沙尼亚总统、外长、挪威首相访丹，丹首相赴德国出席第六届波罗的海发展论坛峰会，赴瑞典参加北欧理事会会议，丹外交大臣代表北欧五国和波海三国赴美国出席世界银行与国际货币基金组织共同发展委员会举行的会议。
　　【同俄罗斯的关系】
　　认为俄罗斯局势走向对欧洲安全和稳定至关重要，加强同俄合作是建立欧洲安全新格局的基础。主张与俄罗斯建立建设性的、长期的合作关系，保持俄政治和经济改革势头，使俄尽快融入欧洲进程。因 “ 世界车臣人大会”2002 年10 月在丹举行和未同意引渡车臣“ 副总理”扎卡耶夫事，丹与俄关系发生龃龉。2003 年5月，丹首相夫妇赴俄罗斯圣彼得堡出席其建城300 周年庆祝活动并与俄总统普京会晤。2004年别斯兰恐怖事件后，丹谴责车臣恐怖分子的暴行，外交大臣致电俄方表示慰问。
　　【同中东欧国家的关系】
　　丹麦重视发展同中东欧国家的关系，认为中东欧国家目前正处在冷战后的“安全真空” 。认为北约和欧盟双东扩有利于保持欧洲的长期稳定。 2004 年，丹首相访问了捷克、奥地利；丹外交大臣访问了保加利亚、波兰、马耳他等；罗马尼亚总统、波兰总理、乌克兰外长等分别访问了丹麦。 2004 年10 月，哥本哈根警察局副局长凯· 维特努普（ Kai Vittrup ）出任联合国驻科索沃警察部队最高长官。
　　【同发展中国家的关系】
　　丹重视同发展中国家的关系。认为贫富差距的扩大是影响世界和平与稳定的重要因素。丹采取经济援助同受援国民主、人权状况挂钩的政策，向发展中国家提供的援助较前有所下降， 2003 年外援金额约为国内生产总值的 0.7 ％。2004 年，丹外交大臣访问了加纳、约旦、叙利亚、以色列、伊拉克、阿塞拜疆、格鲁吉亚、亚美尼亚，还与国防大臣一起访问了苏丹，于 10 月赴越南出席第五届亚欧首脑会议；丹首相访问了伊拉克。智利总统、尼加拉瓜总统访丹。
　　
　　【旅游业】
　　2003 年旅游业收入 351.6 亿克朗，占当年国内生产总值的 2.5 ％。旅游业就业人数为 7.1 万人，是丹麦服务行业中的第一大产业。年均外国游客约 200 万人。共有旅馆 557 家，客床 10.6 万多张。主要旅游点有哥本哈根、安徒生故乡－欧登塞、乐高积木城及日德兰半岛西海岸和最北角斯卡晏等。（资料来源：丹麦旅游局）
　　“美人鱼”铜像（Little Mermaid）位于丹麦首都哥本哈根朗厄里尼港入口处的一块巨大鹅卵石上，它是丹麦雕塑家埃德华·埃里克森于1912年根据安徒生童话《海的女儿》中的女主角用青铜雕铸的。“小美人鱼”是丹麦童话作家安徒生于1837年所写的一篇童话《海的女儿》中的主角。她是海王最小的女儿。她15岁时，一位王子所乘的船触礁沉没，她救了王子并倾心于他。但是王子已与另外的女子订有婚约，而离开了她。然而，痴情的“小美人鱼”仍然日复一日地坐在海边的岩石上，等待王子归来。埃里克森利用了丹麦皇家剧院芭蕾舞演员埃伦·普赖斯的形象作为模特，但是他没能说服这位女演员为制作这一铜像而裸体，这不得不迫使他让自己的妻子充当裸体模特。这尊5.3英尺高的铜像同真人一般大小，整个人鱼直到小腿都是人形，只是脚变成了鱼鳍。铜像于1913年8月23日被安置在哥本哈根港，现已成为丹麦的象征。但“美人鱼”铜像曾多次遭受厄运：1961年，有人用白颜料给“美人鱼”画上胸罩；1963年，美人鱼全身被涮了一层红颜色；1964年，铜像第一次被“割去”了头部；幸好雕刻家埃里克森保存着模具，又重铸了一个头像；1984年7月22日清晨，“美人鱼”右臂被人锯走一截，当晚两个年轻人向警察投案自首，警方以破坏公物罪对其提出起诉；1990年又有人试图盗头未果；1998年1月5日，“美人鱼”雕像头部又一次被人盗走。2003年9月，“美人鱼”青铜雕像又遭厄运。2006年3月，哥本哈根市政府决定将美人鱼雕像向深海处搬迁，原因是过多的游客对雕塑造成太多的破坏。
　　安徒生博物馆 (H.C Andersson's House)位于丹麦菲茵岛中部的奥登塞市区。为纪念丹麦伟大童话作家安徒生（1805－1875年）诞生100周年（1905年）而建。博物馆是一座红瓦白墙的平房，坐落在一条鹅卵石铺的街巷里。这里临街的一幢幢古老式样的建筑，使人感到仿佛回到了19世纪安徒生生活的年代。博物馆共有陈列室18间。前 12间按时间顺序介绍安徒生生平及其各时期作品，展出大量安徒生作品的手稿、来往信件、画稿以及丹麦一些名画家、艺术家创作的有关安徒生生活的油画和雕塑。安徒生生前的用具仍按原样摆放着，古朴的家具，两只有补丁的仅皮箱，一顶礼帽，一个提包，一把雨伞，一根手杖。这些曾经长期伴随他的简陋的旅行行装，体现他朴实的生活和情趣。第11间为一建于1930是的圆柱形大厅，其几米高的环墙展出丹麦近代著名艺术家斯坦恩斯根据安徒生的自传体著作我的一生的童话而作的８幅壁画，内容有安徒生童年，离啕故乡，国外游历，与世界著名艺术家的交往，最后到1867年，人们欢呼安徒生被授予奥登塞市荣誉市民等安徒生生前各阶段的生活与写作的经历。博物馆第13至18间包括有图书馆和录像录音播放室等，在这里人们拿起听筒就能听到安徒生的童话故事。这几个陈列室，收集了 68个国家出版的96种文字的安徒生著作，收藏的中国出版的安徒生童话及著作共有27种，其中最早的是1926年发表在小说月报上的安徒生作品的中文译文。博物馆原建在安徒生的故居内，随着安徒生的声誉和著作影响的扩大，世界各国安徒生著作版本的增加以及博物馆参观者人数的增多，两度扩建：一次在 1930年，为安徒生诞辰125周年；另一次在1975年，为安徒生逝世100周年。
　　圆塔 (Round Tower)坐落在首都哥本哈根市中心附近。建于1642年克里斯钦四世统治时期。克里斯钦四世（1577－1648年）为丹麦和挪威之王，喜建建筑，屡建立城市，有“国王建筑师”之称。圆塔高36米，直径15米。它的建立与三一大教堂（基督教中指圣父、圣子、圣灵三位一体有关。克里斯钦四世修建这座建筑使之与大教堂以及图书馆和天文饮台构成一组综合建筑群。塔内有螺旋通道直抵塔顶。1716年，俄国沙皇彼得大帝访问哥本哈根时曾与其皇后卡特林娜登上塔顶。
　　蒂沃利公园 (Tivoli Gardens)位于丹麦首都哥本哈根闹市中心，占地20英亩，是丹麦著名的游乐园，有“童话之城”之称。每年4月22日至9月19日对外开放。兴建蒂沃利公园的是一名记者兼出版商乔治·卡斯滕森，他向当时丹麦国王克里斯蒂八世进言，表示“若人民耽于玩乐，便不会干涉政治”，于是获准修建这座公园。公园于1843年8月15日起即开始接待当地居民和外来游客。最初公园只是群众集会、跳舞，看表演和听音乐的场所。后来几经改造，才逐渐形成一个老少皆宜的游乐场所。公园的正门，颇似一座碉堡。由专家精心设计的园内建筑物错落有致地分布在自然景物之间，使整个公园兼有天然与人工之美。花卉展览是公园的一大特色，花展以种植在园地里的花簇组成五彩缤纷的图案来吸引观众。这里的水景更是令人叹为观止，水面上不仅有雕塑、喷泉，还有花舟游弋，水鸟翻飞。当夜幕降临，园内灯光灿烂、闪烁生辉。整个游
　　乐园既象是在黑幕上画出一幅大笔素描，又似是一个玻璃的世界。树枝上的彩灯大小不一、明暗有致，衬托出通幽曲径、树影婆娑。水边的灯饰图案各有不同，色彩各异，在不同的水面上经过巧妙的安排和艺术的穿插，有如镜花水月，给人以朦胧迷幻之感。这里还有丙座引人注目的中国式建筑──宝塔和戏台。塔分4层，飞檐凌空，楹槛通灵，一面倚山，三边临水。塔内层层设有餐厅，游客可一边品尝中国佳肴，一边饱览湖光山色。戏台建于1874年，在外形、大小、色泽、布局上仿照北京故宫戏台规格，台前屋檐下横悬一块木匾，上书孟子的名言“与民偕乐”4个大字。蒂沃利公园自创建以来从未出现过赤字，之所以有这么好的收益除了其别致的景色以外，还得益于其悠久的历史和传统。公园内设有20多条惊险程度各异的历险路线，还可沿飞天干线浏览安徒生童话故事里一幕幕脍炙人口的童话故事。
　　大贝尔特海峡大桥(Store Baelt Bridge)建在在丹麦西兰岛与菲英岛之间 18公里宽的大贝尔特海峡上，该桥上的悬索桥长 1624米，是世界上最长的悬索桥之一。大桥为公路、铁路两用桥。从菲英岛至海峡中斯坡洛格岛为6.6公里长的西桥，1996年7月完工。东桥从西兰岛至斯坡洛格岛铁路需走的隧道1995年夏季已开通。东桥的公路桥在水面上，这部分大桥中有一段为悬索桥，桥塔高254米；两桥塔之间的跨度达1624米，仅次于正在建设中的日本明石海峡大桥；桥孔高度为65米，可通行任何巨轮。悬索桥使用了1.9万吨钢缆，其主钢缆直径达85公分。

　　Denmark en-us-Denmark.ogg /ˈdɛnmɑrk/ (help·info) (Danish: Danmark, IPA: [ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊], (archaic:) IPA: [ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊]) is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member (with Greenland and the Faroe Islands) of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries. The mainland is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark is southwest of Sweden and south of Norway. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland (Jylland) and many islands, most notably Zealand (Sjælland), Funen (Fyn), Vendsyssel-Thy, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago. Denmark has long controlled the approach to the Baltic Sea, and these waters are also known as the Danish straits.
　　
　　Denmark is the second-most visited destination in Scandinavia, after Sweden, with 4.7 million visitors in 2007.
　　
　　Denmark is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Denmark has a state-level government and local governments in 98 municipalities. Denmark has been a member of the European Union (formerly European Economic Community) since 1973, although has not joined the Eurozone, a currency union among the European Union member states that have adopted the euro as their sole official currency. Denmark is a founding member of NATO.
　　
　　Denmark, with a free market capitalist economy, and a large welfare state, ranks according to one measure as having the world's highest level of income equality. From 2006 to 2008, surveys ranked Denmark as "the happiest place in the world," based on standards of health, welfare, and education. The 2008 Global Peace Index survey ranks Denmark as the second most peaceful country in the world, after Iceland. Denmark was also ranked as the least corrupt country in the world in the 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index, sharing a top position with Sweden and New Zealand. In 2008, the capital and largest city, Copenhagen, was ranked the most livable city in the world by Monocle magazine. The national language, Danish, is close to Swedish and Norwegian, with which they share strong cultural and historical ties. 82.0% of the inhabitants of Denmark and 90.3% of the ethnic Danes are members of the Lutheran state church. About 9% of the population have foreign citizenship. A large portion of the foreign citizens are of Scandinavian ancestry, while the rest are of a variety of nationalities.
　　
　　The etymology of the word Denmark, and especially the relationship between Danes and Denmark and the unifying of Denmark as a single Kingdom is a subject that attracts some debate. The debate is centered primarily around the prefix 'Dan' and whether it refers to the Dani or a historical person Dan and the exact meaning of the -mark ending. The issue is further complicated by a number of references to various Dani people in Scandinavian or other places in Europe in ancient Greek and Roman accounts (like Ptolemy, Jordanes and Gregory of Tours), as well as some medieval literature (like Adam of Bremen, Beowulf, Widsith and Poetic Edda).
　　
　　Most handbooks derive the first part of the word, and the name of the people, from a word meaning "flat land", related to German Tenne "threshing floor", English den "cave", Sanskrit dhánu?- "desert". The -mark is believed to mean woodland or borderland (see marches), with probable references to the border forests in south Schleswig, maybe similar to Finnmark, Telemark or Dithmarschen.
　　
　　Mythological explanations
　　
　　Some of the earliest descriptions of the origin of the word 'Denmark', describing a territory, are found in the Chronicon Lethrense (12th century), Svend Aagesen (late 12th century), Saxo Grammaticus (early 13th century) and the Ballad of Eric (mid 15th century). There are however many more Danish annals and yearbooks containing various other details, similar tales in other variations, other names or spelling variations, and so on.
　　
　　The Chronicon Lethrense explains that when the Roman Emperor Augustus went against Denmark in the time of David, Denmark consisted of the territory Jutland, Funen, Zealand, M?n, Falster, Lolland and Sk?ne, but was not called Denmark (Dania) because they were governed by King Ypper of Uppsala. He had three sons, Nori, ?sten and Dan. Dan was sent to govern Zealand, M?n, Falster and Lolland, which became known jointly as Videslev. When the Jutes were fighting Emperor Augustus they called upon Dan to help and upon victory made him king of Jutland, Fuen, Videslev and Sk?ne. After a council about what to call this new united land, they named it Denmark (Dania) after the new king, Dan. Saxo relates that the legendary Danish King Dan, son of Humbli, gave the name to the Danish people, though he does not expressly state that he also is the origin of the word "Denmark". Rather he tells that England ultimately derives its name from Dan’s brother Angle.
　　
　　Earliest occurrences
　　
　　The earliest mention of a territory called "Denmark" is found in King Alfred the Great's modified translation into Old English of Paulus Orosius' Seven Books of History Against The Pagans ("Historiarum adversum Paganos Libri Septem"), written by Alfred when king of Wessex in the years 871-899. In a passage introduced to the text by Alfred, we read about Ohthere of H?logaland’s travels in the Nordic region, during which 'Denmark [Denamearc] was on his [port side]... And then for two days he had on his [port side] the islands which belong to Denmark'.
　　
　　The earliest recorded use of the word "Denmark" within Denmark itself is found on the two Jelling stones, which are rune stones believed to have been erected by Gorm the Old (c. 955) and Harald Bluetooth (c. 965). The larger stone of the two is often cited as Denmark's birth certificate, though both use the word "Denmark", in the form of accusative "tanmaurk" (pronounced /danm?rk/) on the large stone, and genitive "tanmarkar" (pronounced /danmarka?/) on the small stone. The inhabitants of Denmark are there called "tani" (/dan?/), or "Danes", in the accusative.
　　
　　In the Song of Roland, estimated to have been written between 1040 and 1115, though the oldest manuscript dates to 1140-1170, the first mention of the legendary Danish hero Holger Danske appears, who is specifically mentioned, several times, as "Holger of Denmark" (Oger de Denemarche)
　　
　　History
　　
　　The earliest archaeological findings in Denmark date back to 130,000 –110,000 BC in the Eem interglacial period. People have inhabited Denmark since about 12,500 BC and agriculture has been in evidence since 3,900 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age (1,800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings including lurs and the Sun Chariot. During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating south, although the first Danish people came to the country between the Pre-Roman and the Germanic Iron Age, in the Roman Iron Age (CE 1–400). The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of northwest Europe and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron. Historians believe that before the arrival of the precursors to the Danes, who came from the east Danish islands (Zealand) and Sk?ne and spoke an early form of north Germanic, most of Jutland and some islands were settled by Jutes. They were later invited to Great Britain as mercenaries by Brythonic king Vortigern, and were granted the south-eastern territories of Kent, the Isle of Wight, among other areas, where they settled. They were later absorbed or ethnically cleansed by the invading Angles and Saxons, who formed the Anglo-Saxons. The remaining population in Jutland assimilated in with the Danes, due territorial expansions from the south and the east, and the Jutes being initially weakened after their emigrations.
　　
　　The exact origins of the Danish nation have been lost in the mists of time. However, a short note about the Dani in "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths" from 551 by historian Jordanes is believed by some to be an early mention of the Danes, one of the ethnic groups from whom the modern Danish people are descended. The Danevirke defense structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward, and the sheer size of the construction efforts in 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king. The new runic alphabet was first used at the same time and Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about 700 AD.
　　
　　Iron age
　　
　　During the 8th-11th centuries, the Danes were known as Vikings, together with Norwegians, Geats and Gotlanders. Viking explorers first discovered and settled Iceland in the 9th century, on their way toward the Faroe Islands. From there, Greenland and Vinland (probably Newfoundland) were also settled. Utilising their great skills in shipbuilding they raided and conquered parts of France and the British Isles. But they also excelled in trading along the coasts and rivers of Europe, running trade routes from Greenland in the north to Constantinople in the south via Russian rivers. The Danish Vikings were most active in the British Isles and Western Europe, and they raided, conquered and settled parts of England (their earliest settlements included sites in the Danelaw, Ireland, and Normandy).
　　
　　In the early 8th century, Charlemagne's Christian empire had expanded to the southern border of the Danes, and Frankish sources (F.ex. Notker of St Gall) provide the earliest historical evidence of the Danes. These report a King Gudfred, who appeared in present day Holstein with a navy in 804 CE where diplomacy took place with the Franks; In 808, the same King Gudfred attacked the Obotrite, a Wend people and conquered the city of Reric whose population was displaced or abducted, to Hedeby; In 809, King Godfred and emissaries of Charlemagne failed to negotiate peace and the next year, 810, King Godfred attacked the Frisians with 200 ships. The oldest parts of the defensive works of Danevirke near Hedeby at least date from the summer of 755 and were expanded with large works in the 10th century. The size and amount of troops needed to man it indicates a quite powerful ruler in the area, which might be consistent with the kings the Frankish sources. In 815 AD, Emperor Louis the Pious attacked Jutland apparently in support of a contender to the throne, perhaps Harald Klak, but was turned back by the sons of Godfred, who most likely were the sons of the above mentioned Godfred. At the same time Saint Ansgar traveled to Hedeby and started the Catholic christianisation of Scandinavia.
　　Map showing Danevirke and H?rvejen
　　
　　The Danes were united and officially Christianised in 965 CE by Harald Bl?tand, the story of which is recorded on the Jelling stones. The exact extent of Harald's Danish Kingdom is unknown, although it's reasonable to believe that it stretched from the defensive line of Dannevirke, including the Viking city of Hedeby, across Jutland, the Danish isles and into southern present day Sweden; Scania and perhaps Halland and Blekinge. Furthermore, the Jelling stones attest that Harald had also "won" Norway. The son of Harald, Sweyn Forkbeard mounted a series of wars of conquest against England, which was completed by Svend's son Canute the Great by the middle of the 11th century. The reign of Canute the Great (Danish:Knud) represented the peak of the Danish Viking age. King Knud's North Sea Empire included Denmark (1018), Norway (1028), England (1035) and held strong influence over the north-eastern coast of Germany.
　　
　　Following the death of Canute the Great, Denmark and England were divided. Sweyn Estridsen's son, Canute IV, raided England for the last time in 1085. He planned another invasion to take the throne of England from an aging William I. He called up a fleet of 1000 Danish ships, 60 Norwegian long boats, with plans to meet with another 600 ships under Duke Robert of Flanders in the summer of 1086. Canute, however, was beginning to realize that the imposition of the tithe on Danish peasants and nobles to fund the expansion of monasteries and churches and a new head tax (Danish:nefgjald) had brought his people to the verge of rebellion. Canute took weeks to arrive at Struer where the fleet had aseembled, but he found only the Norwegians still there. The Danes had waited so long for the king that they began to starve and sailed home in disgust.
　　
　　Canute thanked the Norwegians for their patience and then went from assembly to assembly (Danish:landsting) outlawing any sailor, captain, or soldier who refused to pay a fine which amounted to more than a years harvest for most farmers. When the king refused to back down, the peasants in Vendsyssel went on a rampage burning royal properties and murdering the hated tax collectors. Canute and his housecarls fled south with a growing army of rebels on his heels. Canute fled to the royal property outside the town of Odense on Funen with his two brothers. The peasants on Funen were not any happier with Canute than anyone else and charged after the king. Canute and his brother, Prince Benedict, fled to St Albans Priory for sanctuary. Canute took communion realizing his days were numbered. After several attempts to break in and then bloody hand to hand fighting in the church, Benedict was cut down and Canute struck in the head by a large stone and then speared from the front. He died at the base of the main altar 10 July 1086, where he was buried by the Benedictines. When Queen Edele came to take Canute's body to Flanders, a wonderful light allegedly shone around the church and it was taken as a sign that Canute should remain where he was. People flocked to his grave when it was reported that the blind had received their sight, the lame walked, and deaf heard. His brother Olaf, who succeeded Canute, had a short reign and Denmark was plagued with famine so often that Olaf will forever be known as Olaf Hunger. Canute was canonized in 1101, and St Canute's Cathedral became one of Scandinavia's most popular pilgrimage sites in the Middle Ages.
　　
　　The death of St Canute marks the end of the great Viking Age. Never again would massive flotillas of Scandinavians meet each year to ravage the rest of Christian Europe. Denmark was thoroughly Christian, though for generations Danes quietly held onto old customs that are vague reminders of pre-Christian times.
　　
　　Medieval Denmark
　　
　　From the Viking age towards the end of the 13th century, the kingdom of Denmark consisted of Jutland, north from the Eider River and the islands of Zealand, Funen, Bornholm, Sk?ne, Halland and Blekinge. From the end of the 1200s the lands between the Eider River and the river Konge?en were separated from the kingdom as two vassal duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.
　　
　　Following the end of the 11th century, Denmark underwent a transition from a patchwork of regional chiefs (Danish:jarls) with a weak and semi-elected royal institution, into a realm which more reflected European feudalism, with a powerful king ruling through an influential nobility. The period is marked by internal strife and the generally weak geopolitical position of the realm, which for long stretches fell under German influence. The period also featured the first of large stone buildings (mostly churches), a deep penetration by the Christian religion, the appearance of monastic orders in Denmark and the first written historical works such as the Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes"). German political as well as religious influence firmly ended in the last decades of the 12th century under the rule of King Valdemar the Great and his foster brother Absalon Hvide, Archbishop of Lund; through successful wars against Wend peoples of northeast Germany and the German Empire.
　　The tomb of Margrethe I in Roskilde Cathedral
　　
　　A high point was reached during the reign of Valdemar II, who led the formation of a Danish "Baltic Sea Empire", which by 1221 extended control from Estonia in the east to Norway in the north. In this period several of the "regional" law codes were given; notably the Code of Jutland from 1241, which asserted several modern concepts like right of property; "that the king cannot rule without and beyond the law"; "and that all men are equal to the law". Following the death of Valdemar II in 1241 and to the ascension of Valdemar IV in 1340, the kingdom was in general decline due to internal strife and the rise of the Hanseatic League. The competition between the sons of Valdemar II, had the longterm result that the southern parts of Jutland were separated from the kingdom of Denmark and became semi-independent vassal duchies/counties.
　　
　　During the reign of Valdemar IV and his daughter Margrethe I, the realm was re-invigorated and following the Battle of Falk?ping, Margrethe I had her sister's son, Eric of Pomerania crowned King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden after the signing of the union charter of Kalmar (The Kalmar Union), Trinity Sunday 1397. Much of the next 125 years of Scandinavian history revolves around this union, with Sweden breaking off and being re-conquered repeatedly. The issue was for practical purposes resolved on the 17 June 1523 as Swedish King Gustav Vasa conquered the city of Stockholm. Denmark and Norway remained in a personal union until the Congress of Vienna, 1814.
　　
　　The Protestant Reformation came to Scandinavia in 1520s. On Easter Sunday 1525 Hans Tausen, a monk in the Order of St John's Hospitalers, proclaimed aloud the need for Luther's reforms in the Catholic Church. His sermon was the beginning of a ten year struggle which would change Denmark forever. Tausen was hustled off to a monastery in Viborg in northern Jutland where he would be isolated and away from Copenhagen and the court. Tausen simply preached through the window of his locked chamber. At first curious Danes came to hear the strange new ideas that Tausen was preaching. Within weeks Tausen was freed by his loyal followers and then a Franciscan abbey church was broken open so Viborgers could hear God's word under a roof. Luther's ideas were accepted so rapidly that the local bishop and other churchmen in Viborg were unable to cope. In many churches the mass was celebrated alongside Lutheran sermons and then Tausen's version of Luther's teachings began to spread to other parts of Jutland. Within a year Tausen was the personal chaplain of King Frederik I. Frederik tried to balance the old and new ideas insisting that they coexist; it lasted only as long as Frederik did.
　　
　　A mob stormed Our Lady Church in Copenhagen in 1531 tearing down statues, destroying side altars, artwork, and relics that had accumulated through its long history. Similar events happened through the country, although for the most part the change was peaceful. The majority of common people saw the reduced influence and wealth of the church as a liberating thing, but their new found influence did not last long.
　　
　　At the death of Frederick I two claimants to the throne, one backed by Protestant L?beck and the other by Catholic nobles caused a civil war known as the Count's Feud (Danish: Grevens Fejde). The massacre of Skipper Clement's peasant army at Aalborg brought an end of the war with the pro-Lutheran party firmly in charge. Denmark became officially Lutheran in 1536. Denmark's Catholic bishops were arrested and imprisoned. Abbeys, nunneries, monasteries and other church properties were confiscated by local nobility and the crown. Monks, nuns, and clergy lost their livelihood. The bishops who agreed to marry and not stir up trouble were given former church lands as personal estates.
　　
　　Catholic influence remained longest in Viborg and the nearby area, northern Jutland, where change permeated slowly, although the reformation originally began there.
　　
　　Modern history
　　
　　King Christian IV attacked Sweden in the 1611–13 Kalmar War but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing Sweden to return to the union with Denmark. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the ?lvsborg ransom. King Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably Glückstadt (founded as a rival to Hamburg), Christiania (following a fire destroying the original city), Christianshavn, Christianstad, and Christiansand. Christian also constructed a number of buildings, most notably B?rsen, Rundet?rn, Nyboder, Rosenborg, a silver mine and a copper mill. Inspired by the Dutch East India Company, he founded a similar Danish company and planned to claim Sri Lanka as a colony but the company only managed to acquire Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. In the Thirty Year's War, Christian tried to become the leader of the Lutheran states in Germany, but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lutter resulting in a catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein occupying and pillaging Jutland. Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. In 1643, Swedish armies invaded Jutland and in 1644 Sk?ne. In the 1645 Treaty of Br?msebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway. In 1657, King Frederick III declared war on Sweden and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat and the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered both Jutland, Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658 which gave Sweden control of Sk?ne, Blekinge, Tr?ndelag and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having destroyed Denmark completely and in August 1658 he began a two-year long siege of Copenhagen but failed to take the capital. In the following peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Tr?ndelag and Bornholm.
　　Den Grundlovsgivende Rigsforsamling (The Constitutional Assembly. The Assembly created The Danish constitution), 1860–1864 painting by Constantin Hansen
　　
　　Denmark tried to regain control of Sk?ne in the Scanian War (1675–79) but it ended in failure. Following the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark managed to restore control of the parts of Schleswig and Holstein ruled by the house of Holstein-Gottorp in 1721 and 1773, respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark originally tried to pursue a policy of neutrality to continue the lucrative trade with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden and Prussia. The British considered this a hostile act and attacked Copenhagen in both 1801 and 1807, in one case carrying off the Danish fleet and burning large parts of the Danish capital. These events mark the end of the prosperous Florissant Age and resulted in the Dano-British Gunboat War. British control over the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813, Denmark-Norway went bankrupt. The post-Napoleonic Congress of Vienna demanded the dissolution of the Dano-Norwegian union, and this was confirmed by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. Denmark-Norway had briefly hoped to restore the Scandinavian union in 1809, but these hopes were dashed when the estates of Sweden rejected a proposal to let Frederick VI of Denmark succeed the deposed Gustav IV Adolf and instead gave the crown to Charles XIII. Norway entered a new union with Sweden which lasted until 1905. Denmark kept the colonies of Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland. Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark ruled over Danish India (Tranquebar in India) from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies (the U.S. Virgin Islands) from 1671 to 1917.
　　
　　The Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European Revolutions of 1848 Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849. After the Second War of Schleswig (Danish: Slesvig) in 1864, Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia, in a defeat that left deep marks on the Danish national identity. After these events, Denmark returned to its traditional policy of neutrality, also keeping Denmark neutral in World War I.
　　
　　20th and 21st centuries
　　
　　Following the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the then-German region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German irredentism, Denmark refused to consider the return of the area and insisted on a plebiscite concerning the return of Schleswig. The two Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March, respectively. On 5 July 1920 after the plebiscite and the King's signature (6 July) on the reunion document, Northern Schleswig (S?nderjylland) was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding 163,600 inhabitants and 3,984 km2. The reunion day (Genforeningsdag) is celebrated every year 15 June on Valdemarsdag.
　　
　　Germany's invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940 – codenamed Operation Weserübung – met only two hours of military resistance before the Danish government surrendered. Economic co-operation between Germany and Denmark continued until 1943, when the Danish government refused further co-operation and its navy sank most of its ships and sent as many of their officers as they could to Sweden. During the war, the government was extremely helpful towards Jews living in the country, and the resistance managed to get most of the Jews to Sweden and safety. Denmark led many "inside operations" or sabotage against the German facilities. Iceland severed ties to Denmark and became an independent republic, and in 1948 the Faroe Islands gained home rule. After the war, Denmark became one of the founding members of the United Nations and NATO and in 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, joined the European Economic Community (now the European Union) after a public referendum. Greenland gained home rule in 1979. Neither Greenland, nor the Faroe Islands are members of the European Union, the Faroers declining membership in EEC from 1973 and Greenland from 1986, in both cases because of fisheries policies.
　　
　　Despite its small size Denmark has been participating in major military and humanitary operations, most notably the UN and NATO led operations on Cyprus and in Bosnia, Korea, Croatia, Kosovo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
　　
　　Geography
　　
　　Denmark is the smallest country in Scandinavia. Denmark's northernmost point is Skagens point (the north beach of the Skaw) at 57° 45' 7" northern latitude, the southernmost is Gedser point (the southern tip of Falster) at 54° 33' 35" northern latitude, the westernmost point is Bl?vandshuk at 8° 4' 22" eastern longitude, and the easternmost point is ?stersk?r at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the archipelago Ertholmene 18 kilometres northeast of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is 452 kilometres (281 mi), from north to south 368 kilometres (229 mi).
　　Windmills and yellow brick houses accent the gently rolling meadowlands of Karlebo.
　　
　　Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) and 443 named islands (1419 islands above 100 m2 in total (2005)). Of these, 72 are inhabited (2008), with the largest being Zealand (Sj?lland) and Funen (Fyn). The island of Bornholm is located somewhat east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges; the ?resund Bridge connects Zealand with Sweden, the Great Belt Bridge connects Funen with Zealand, and the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft connect to the smaller islands. Main cities are the capital Copenhagen (on Zealand), ?rhus, Aalborg and Esbjerg (in Jutland) and Odense (on Funen).
　　A forest burial ground in Yding Skovh?j, one of Denmark's highest points.
　　
　　The country is flat with little elevation; having an average height above sea level of only 31 metres (102 ft) and the highest natural point is M?lleh?j, at 170.86 metres (560.56 ft). Other hills in the same area southwest of ?rhus are Yding Skovh?j at 170.77 metres (560.27 ft) and Ejer Bavneh?j at 170.35 metres (558.89 ft).[dead link] The area of inland water is: (eastern Denmark) 210 km2 (81 sq mi); (western D.) 490 km2 (189 sq mi).
　　
　　Denmark is split into one peninsula and 443 named islands which results in a long coastline, 7,314 kilometres (4,544 mi). A perfect circle enclosing the same area as Denmark would have a circumference of only 742 kilometres (461 mi). Another feature that shows the close connection between the land and ocean is that no location in Denmark is further from the coast than 52 kilometres (32.3 mi). The size of the land area of Denmark cannot be stated exactly since the ocean constantly erodes and adds material to the coastline, and because of human land reclamation projects (to counter erosion). On the southwest coast of Jutland, the tide is between 1 and 2 metres (3 to 6.5 ft), and the tideline moves outward and inward on a 10 kilometres (6 mi) stretch.
　　
　　Phytogeographically, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands) belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and is shared between the Arctic, Atlantic European and Central European provinces of the Circumboreal Region. According to the WWF, the territory of Denmark can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests and Baltic mixed forests. The Faroe Islands are covered by the Faroe Islands boreal grasslands, while Greenland hosts the ecoregions of Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra and Kalaallit Nunaat low arctic tundra.
　　
　　The climate is in the temperate zone. The winters are not particularly cold, with mean temperatures in January and February of 0.0 °C, and the summers are cool, with a mean temperature in August of 15.7 °C. There is a lot of wind, which is stronger during the winter and weaker during the summer. Denmark has an average of 121 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of 712 mm per year; autumn is the wettest season, and spring the driest.
　　
　　Because of Denmark's northern location, the length of the day with sunlight varies greatly. There are short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 9:30 a.m. and sunset 4:30 p.m., as well as long summer days with sunrise at 3:30 a.m. and sunset at 10 p.m. The shortest and longest days of the year have traditionally been celebrated. The celebration for the shortest day corresponds roughly with Christmas (Danish: jul) and modern celebrations concentrate on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The Norse word jól is a plural, indicating that pre-Christian society celebrated a season with multiple feasts. Christianity introduced the celebration of Christmas, resulting in the use of the Norse name also for the Christian celebration. Efforts by the Catholic Church to replace this name with kristmesse were unsuccessful. The celebration for the longest day is Midsummer Day, which is known in Denmark as sankthansaften (St. John's evening). Celebrations of Midsummer have taken place since pre-Christian times.
　　
　　Environmental Issues
　　
　　There are also many environmental issues that Denmark currently faces. The following are the problems that Denmark faces:
　　
　　* 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
　　
　　However the Danish Government has signed many international agreements such as:
　　
　　Antarctic Treaty; Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol; Endangered Species Act; Etc.
　　
　　These agreements have helped in the reduction in CO2 emissions by Denmark. Now Denmark is ranked 10th for the most green countries to live in the world.
　　
　　Government and politics
　　
　　Queen Margrethe II
　　
　　The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. As stipulated in the Danish Constitution, the monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and his or her person is sacrosanct. The monarch formally appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and other ministers. The prime minister is customarily chosen through negotiation between the parliament party leaders.
　　
　　Before being validated through royal assent, all bills and important government measures must be discussed in Statsr?det, a privy council headed by the monarch. The Danish privy council's protocols are secret. Although the monarch is formally given executive power this power is strictly ceremonial. The monarch is expected to be entirely apolitical and refrain from influencing the government in any way or form. For example, members of the royal family do not cast their votes in elections and referendums even though they have the right.
　　Prime Minister of Denmark: Anders Fogh Rasmussen
　　
　　While executive authority formally belongs to the monarch (as head of state), legislative authority is vested in the executive (Prime Minister) and the Danish parliament conjointly. Judicial authority lies with the courts of justice.
　　
　　Executive authority is exercised on behalf of the monarch by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other ministers collectively make up the government. These ministers are responsible to Folketinget (the Danish Parliament), the legislative body, which is traditionally considered to be supreme (that is, able to legislate on any matter and not bound by decisions of its predecessors).
　　
　　The Folketing is the national legislature. It has the ultimate legislative authority according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, however questions over sovereignty have been brought forward because of Denmark’s entry into the European Union. In theory however, the doctrine prevails. Parliament consists of 175 members elected by proportional majority, plus two members each from Greenland and Faroe Islands. Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the Prime Minister to call one at his discretion before this period has elapsed. On a vote of no confidence the parliament may force a single minister or the entire government to resign.
　　
　　The Danish political system has traditionally generated coalitions. Most Danish post-war governments have been minority coalitions ruling with the support of non-government parties.
　　Denmark and its Dependencies.
　　
　　Since November 2001, the Danish Prime Minister has been Anders Fogh Rasmussen from the Venstre party, a center-right liberal party. The government is a coalition consisting of Venstre and the Conservative People's Party, with parliamentary support from the Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti). The three parties obtained a parliamentary majority in the 2001 elections and maintained it virtually unchanged in the 2005 election. On 24 October 2007 an early election was called by the Prime Minister for 13 November. Following the election the Danish People's party was strengthened while Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre lost 6 seats and the Conservative Party retained the same number of seats in Parliament as prior to the election. The result ensured that Anders Fogh Rasmussen could continue as Prime Minister for a third term.
　　
　　Regions and municipalities
　　
　　Denmark is divided into five regions (Danish: regioner, singular: region) and a total of 98 municipalities. The regions were created on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform to replace the country's traditional thirteen counties (amter). At the same time, smaller municipalities (kommuner) were merged into larger units, cutting the number of municipalities from 270 to 98. The most important area of responsibility for the new regions is the national health service. Unlike the former counties, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes, and the health service is primarily financed by a national 8% (sundhedsbidrag) tax combined with funds from both government and municipalities. Each Regional Council consists of 41 elected politicians elected as part of the 2005 Danish municipal elections.
　　
　　Most of the new municipalities have a population of at least 20,000 people, although a few exceptions were made to this rule.
　　
　　The Ertholmene archipelago (96 inhabitants (2008)) is neither part of a municipality, nor a region but belongs to the Ministry of Defence.
　　
　　Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also parts of the Kingdom of Denmark, as members of Rigsf?llesskabet but have autonomous status and are largely self-governing, and are each represented by two seats in the parliament.
　　Country ↓ Population ↓ Area
　　(km2) ↓ Density
　　(pop per km2) ↓
　　Flag of Denmark Denmark 5,505,995 43,094 128
　　Flag of the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 48,690 1,399 35
　　Flag of Greenland Greenland 57,564 2,175,600 0.026
　　Flag of Denmark Kingdom of Denmark 5,612,249 2,220,093 2.5
　　
　　Economy
　　
　　Denmark's market economy features efficient markets, above average European living standards, and high amount of free trade.
　　
　　Denmark has a GDP per capita higher than that of most European countries, and 15-20% higher than that of the United States. Denmark is one of the most competitive economies in the world according to World Economic Forum 2008 report, IMD, and The Economist. According to World Bank Group, Denmark has the most flexible labor market in Europe; the policy is called flexicurity. It is easy to hire, fire, and find a job. According to rankings by OECD, Denmark has the most free financial markets in EU-15 and also one of the most free product markets, owning to liberalisation in the 1990s.
　　
　　Around 2.9 million residents are in the labor market. The proportion of tertiary degree holders is one of the highest. GDP per hour worked was the 10th highest in 2006 and unemployment at 2.3 percent. Denmark has an advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Denmark has a company tax rate of 25% and a special time limited tax regime for expatriates. The Danish taxation system is both broad based (25% VAT, not including excise, duty and tax) and has the world record for income tax rates (minimum tax rate for adults is 42% scaling to 63%, population average for 2006 was 49.6%).
　　
　　Denmark's national currency, the krone (plural: kroner), is de facto linked to the Euro through ERM. The exchange rate is very steady at approx. 7.45 kroner per euro. Currently the krone converts to American dollars at a rate of about USD 0.17 per krone (about 5.75 kroner per dollar). (Exchange rates updated January 2009) The government has met the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (the common European currency — the Euro) of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a September 2000 referendum, rejected The Monetary Union. The Government of Fogh Rasmussen, re-elected in November 2007, announced a new referendum on the euro for 2008 or 2009 at the latest.
　　Denmark is a member state of the European Union and part of its single market.
　　
　　Denmark is home to many multi-national companies, among them: A. P. Moller-Maersk Group, (Maersk — international shipping), Danfoss (Heating & Cooling), Lego (children's toys), Bang & Olufsen (hi-fi equipment), Carlsberg (beer), Vestas (wind turbines), Novozymes (enzymes and biotech) and the pharmaceutical companies Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk. International companies such as CSC, Dell, Microsoft and Nokia have placed large global business centres in Copenhagen. Denmark is known from the Danish cooperative movement concerning farming, food industry (now Danish Crown), dairies (now Arla Foods), shops Brugsen, which are part of Coop Norden now, wind turbine cooperatives, and co-housing associations.
　　
　　Support for free trade is high - in a recent poll 76% responded that globalisation is a good thing. 70% of trade flows are inside the European Union. Main exports include: animal foodstuffs, chemicals, dairy products, electronic equipment, fish, furniture, leather, machinery, meat, oil and gas, and sugar. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has for a number of years had a balance of payments surplus while battling an equivalent of approximately 39% of GNP foreign debt or more than 300 billion DKK. Also of importance is the sea territory of more than 105,000 km2 (40,000+ sq mi).
　　
　　Denmark has ranked as the world's 11th most free economy, of 162 countries, in an index created by the Wall Street Journal and Heritage Foundation, the Index of Economic Freedom 2008. The Index has been categorised as using inappropriately weighted indicators for economic freedom, leading to wealthy and/or conservative countries with barriers to trade placing high on the list, while poor and/or socialist countries with fewer restrictions on trade place low. The Index has only a 10% statistical correlation with a standard measure of economic growth at GDP per capita. Neither does the Index account for the actions of governments to nurture business in the manner of the Japanese Zaibatsus during the late 20th C, that helped lead to the Japanese economic miracle.
　　
　　Education
　　
　　The Danish education system provides access to primary school, secondary school, and most kinds of higher education. Attendance at "Folkeskole" is compulsory for a minimum of 9 years, and a maximum of 10. About 99% of students attend compulsory elementary school, 86% attend secondary school, and 41% pursue further education. All college education in Denmark is free.
　　
　　Primary school in Denmark is called "den Danske Folkeskole" ("Danish Public School"). It runs from 1st to 10th grade, though 10th grade is optional, as is the introductory "kindergarten class" ("b?rnehaveklasse"). Students can alternatively attend "free schools" ("Friskole"), or private schools ("Privatskole"), i.e. schools that are not under the administration of the municipalities, such as christian schools or Waldorf Schools. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, ranked Denmark's education as the 24th best in the world in 2006, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.
　　
　　Following graduation from Folkeskolen, there are several other educational opportunities, including Gymnasium (academically oriented upper secondary education), Higher Preparatory Examination (HF) (similar to Gymnasium, but one year shorter), Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) (with focus on Mathematics and engineering), and Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX) (with a focus on trade and business), as well as vocational education, training young people for work in specific trades by a combination of teaching and apprenticeship.
　　
　　Gymnasium, HF, HTX and HHX aim at qualifying students for higher education in universities and colleges.
　　
　　Denmark has several universities; the largest and oldest are the University of Copenhagen (founded 1479) and University of Aarhus (founded 1928).
　　
　　Folkeh?jskolerne, ("Folk high schools") introduced by politician, clergyman and poet N.F.S. Grundtvig in the 19th century, are social, informal education structures without tests or grades but emphasising communal learning, self-discovery, enlightenment, and learning how to think.
　　
　　Energy
　　Offshore wind turbines near Copenhagen
　　
　　Denmark has considerable sources of oil and natural gas in the North Sea and ranks as number 32 in the world among net exporters of crude oil. Most electricity is produced from coal, but Denmark also has a record high share of windpower in the electricity mix.
　　
　　To encourage investment in wind power, families were offered a tax exemption for generating their own electricity within their own or an adjoining commune. While this could involve purchasing a turbine outright, more often families purchased shares in wind turbine cooperatives which in turn invested in community wind turbines. By 2004 over 150,000 Danes were either members of cooperatives or owned turbines, and about 5,500 turbines had been installed, although with greater private sector involvement the proportion owned by cooperatives had fallen to 75%. Wind turbines produce 16-19% of electricity demand (2004-2006 statistics). Denmark is connected by transmission lines to other European countries.
　　
　　Because of energy taxes, Denmark has the highest household electricity prices in the world, while industries pay just below EU average.
　　
　　Transport
　　
　　Significant investment has been made in recent decades in building road and rail links between Copenhagen and Malm?, Sweden (the ?resund Bridge), and between Zealand and Funen (the Great Belt Fixed Link). The Copenhagen Malm? Port was also formed between the two cities as the common port for the cities of both nations.
　　
　　The main railway operator is Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways) for passenger services and Railion for freight trains. The railway tracks are maintained by Banedanmark. Copenhagen has a small Metro system and the greater Copenhagen area has an extensive electrified suburban railway network.
　　
　　Denmark's national airline (together with Norway and Sweden) is Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and Copenhagen Airport is the country's largest airport, and also the biggest hub in Scandinavia.
　　
　　A ferry link to the Faroe Islands is maintained by Smyril Line. Other international ferry services are mainly operated by DFDS (to Norway and the UK). Scandlines (to Germany and Sweden), Stena Line (to Norway and Sweden), Color Line (to Norway) and FjordLine to (Norway).
　　
　　Private vehicles are increasingly used as a means of transportation, having gone from 1,389,547 registered cars in 1980 to 2,020,013 in 2007. However due to the high registration tax (approx. 180%) and VAT (25%), and the world's highest income tax rate, new cars are very expensive. This has the effect of giving Denmark one of Europe's oldest private vehicle fleets with an average age of 9.1 year in 2007. As another result Denmark has one of Europe's most environmentally harmful vehicle fleets, contrasting to Denmark's general efforts to be perceived internationally as an environmentally friendly and modern nation with a focus on conservation. However it should be noted that whilst this is an unfortunate side effect, the purpose of the tax is to discourage car ownership in the first place. Whether a smaller fleet of aging cars is better than a larger fleet of modern cars is a matter for debate, however as the car fleet has increased by 45% over the last 30 years the effect of high taxation on the fleet size seems small.
　　
　　In 2007 an attempt was made by the government to favor environmentally friendly cars by slightly reducing taxes on high mileage vehicles. However this has had little effect and Denmark has in 2008 experienced an increase in the import of fuel inefficient old cars (mostly older than 10 years), primarily from Germany as their costs including taxes keeps these cars within the budget of many Danes.
　　
　　Public policy
　　
　　After deregulating the labor market in the 1990es, Denmark has one of the most free labor markets in European countries. According World Bank labor market rankings, the labor market flexibility is at the same levels as the United States. Around 80% of employees belong to unions and the unemployment funds that are attached to them, but the percentage is falling. Labor market policies is mainly determined in negotiations between the worker unions and employer unions, and the government only interferes if labor strikes extends for too long.
　　
　　Despite the success of the labor unions in Denmark a growing share of people make contracts individually rather than collectively, and many (four out of ten employees) are contemplating dropping especially unemployment fund but occasionally even union membership altogether. This is due to the fact that the maximum amount (dagpengesats) of unemployment benefit (arbejdsl?shedsdagpenge) per month/day/week is capped at only 15,232 DKK(703 DKK/day;3,515DKK/week) (August 2008)(182,780 DKK per year), and the average employee therefore only receives a benefit at 47% of their wage level if they have to claim benefits when unemployed. With unemployment extremely low (under 50,000 persons August 2008), very few expect to be claiming benefits at all. The only reason then to pay the earmarked money to the unemployment fund would be to retire early and receive early retirement pay (efterl?n), which is possible from the age of 60 provided an additional earmarked contribution is paid to the unemployment fund.
　　
　　The unemployment rate for December 2007 was 2.7%, for a total of 74,900 persons, a reduction by 112,800 persons —2,400 per month — or 60% since December 2003. The Eurostat unemployment number for August 2008 is 2.9%. It should however be noted that this has been achieved by employing more than 38% (800,000 people) of the total workforce in public sector jobs. Another measure of the situation on the labour market is the employment rate, that is the percentage of people aged 15 to 64 (i.e. the working age group) in employment out of the total number of people aged 15 to 64. The employment rate for Denmark in 2007 was 77.1% according to Eurostat. Of all countries in the world, only Switzerland with 78.% and Iceland with 85.1% had a higher employment rate.[dead link]
　　
　　In December 2008 Danmarks Statistik reported that 100,000 Danes were affected by unemployment in the third quarter of 2008. Of these 62% received a job within two months, and 6% had been unemployed for two years or more.
　　
　　The number of unemployed is forecast to be 65,000 in 2015. The number of people in the working age group, less disability pensioners etc., will grow by 10,000 to 2,860,000, and jobs by 70,000 to 2,790,000; part time jobs are included. Because of the present high demand and short supply of skilled labour, for instance for factory and service jobs, including hospital nurses and physicians, the annual average working hours have risen, especially compared with the economic downturn 1987–1993.[dead link] Increasingly, service workers of all kinds are in demand, i.e. in the postal services and as bus drivers, and academics. In the fall of 2007, more than 250,000 foreigners are working in the country, of which 23,000 still reside in Germany or Sweden. According to a sampling survey of over 14,000 enterprises from December 2007 to April 2008 39,000 jobs were not filled, a number much lower than earlier surveys, confirming a downturn in the economic cycle.
　　
　　The level of unemployment benefits is dependent on former employment(the maximum benefit is at 90% of the wage) and at times also on membership of an unemployment fund, which is almost always -but need not be- administered by a trade union, and the previous payment of contributions. However, the largest share of the financing is still carried by the central government and is financed by general taxation, and only to a minor degree from earmarked contributions. There is no taxation, however, on proceeds gained from selling one′s home (provided there was any home equity (da:friv?rdi)), as the marginal tax rate on capital income from housing savings is around 0 percent.
　　
　　The Danish welfare model is accompanied by a taxation system that is both broad based (25% VAT, not including excise, duty and tax) and with a progressive income tax model, meaning the more money that is earned, the higher income tax percentage that gets paid (minimum tax rate for adults is 42% scaling to over 60%, except for the residents of Ertholmene that escape the otherwise ubiquitous 8% healthcare tax fraction of the income taxes). Other taxes include the registration tax on private vehicles, at a rate of 180%, on top of VAT. Lately (July, 2007) this has been changed slightly in an attempt to favor more fuel efficient cars but maintaining the average taxation level more or less unchanged.[dead link]
　　
　　Demographics
　　
　　According to figures from Statistics Denmark, on January 1 2007 91.1% of Denmark’s population of over 5.4 million was of Danish descent. Many of the remaining 8.9% were immigrants, or descendents of recent immigrants, from Bosnia, neighbouring countries, South Asia and Western Asia, many having arrived since an "Alien law" (Udl?ndingeloven) was enacted in 1983 allowing the immigration of family members. There are also small groups of Inuit from Greenland and Faroese. During recent years, anti-mass immigration sentiment has resulted in some of the toughest immigration laws in the European Union. Nevertheless, the number of residence permits granted related to labour and to people from within the EU/EEA has increased since implementation of new immigration laws in 2001. However, the number of immigrants allowed into Denmark for family reunification decreased 70% between 2001 and 2006 to 4,198. During the same period the number of asylum permits granted has decreased by 82.5% to 1,095, reflecting a 84% decrease in asylum seekers to 1,960.
　　
　　Denmark’s population (as at 1 January 2008) was 5,475,791, giving Denmark a population density of 129.16 inhabitants per km2 (334.53 inh/sq mi). As in most countries, the population is not distributed evenly. Although the land area east of the Great Belt only makes up 9,622 km2 (3,715 sq mi), 22.7% of Denmark's land area, as of 1 January 2008 it has 45% (2,465,348) of the population. The average population density of this area is 256.2 inhabitants per km2 (663.6 per sq mi). The average density in the west of the country (32,772 km2/12,653 sq mi) is 91.86/km2 (237.91 per sq mi) (3,010,443 people) (2008).
　　
　　The median age is 39.8 years with 0.98 males per female. 98.2% of the population is literate (age 15 and up). The birth rate is 1.74 children born per woman (2006 est.), which will be reflected in a drop in the ratio of workers to pensioners. Despite the low birth rate, the population is still growing at an average annual rate of 0.33%.
　　
　　Danish is the official language and is spoken throughout the country. English and German are the most widely spoken foreign languages.
　　
　　Religion
　　
　　Burial mound from the 900s in Jelling churchyard
　　
　　There is no official separation of Church and State in Denmark. According to official statistics from January 2009, 81.5% of the population of Denmark are members of the Lutheran state church, the Danish National Church (Den Danske Folkekirke), which is established by the Constitution. If immigrants and descendants of immigrants are excluded from the statistics, the member rate is even higher, approximately 90.3%. According to article 6 of the Constitution, the Royal Family must belong to this Church. Three percent of the Danish population adhere to Islam, and other religions in Denmark include non-Lutheran Christian denominations. The oldest state-recognised religious societies and churches are the following:
　　
　　* Roman Catholicism recognised by the state since 1682
　　* The Reformed Church recognised by the state since 1682.
　　* Judaism, recognised by the state since 1682.
　　
　　Forn Sier (English: The Old Way), based on the much older, native religion, is one of the most recently recognised by the state, gaining official status in November 2003.
　　
　　Religion, religious societies and churches do not need to be state-recognised in Denmark and can be granted the right to perform weddings etc. without this recognition.
　　
　　According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 31% of Danish citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 49% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 19% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force". According to a 2005 study by Zuckerman, Denmark has the third highest proportion of atheists and agnostics in the world, estimated to be between 43% and 80%.
　　
　　Culture
　　
　　Hans Christian Andersen is known beyond Denmark for his fairy tales, such as The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, and The Ugly Duckling. Karen Blixen (pen name: Isak Dinesen), Nobel laureate author Henrik Pontoppidan, Nobel laureate physicist Niels Bohr, the comedic pianist Victor Borge and the philosopher S?ren Kierkegaard have also made a name for themselves outside Denmark.
　　
　　The capital city of Copenhagen includes the Tivoli gardens, the Amalienborg Palace (home of the Danish monarchy), and The Little Mermaid sculpture.
　　
　　The second largest city in Denmark is Aarhus. Aarhus is an old Viking Age city and one of the oldest cities in the country. The largest cathedral in Denmark and the second largest cathedral in Northern Europe is Aarhus Cathedral.
　　
　　Historically, Denmark, like its Scandinavian neighbors, has been one of the most socially progressive cultures in the world. For example, in 1969, Denmark was the first country to legalise pornography. And in 1989, Denmark enacted a registered partnership law, being the first country in the world to grant same-sex couples nearly all of the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
　　
　　Cinema
　　
　　The three big internationally important waves of Danish cinema have been:
　　
　　* The erotic melodrama of the silent era.
　　* The increasingly explicit sex films of the 1960s and 1970s.
　　* The Dogme95-movement of the late 1990s.
　　
　　Danish filmmakers of note include:
　　
　　* Carl Th. Dreyer (1889-1968), one of the most acclaimed directors in the history of cinema.
　　* Erik Balling, Oscar-nominated creator of Olsen-banden (1968).
　　* Gabriel Axel, Oscar-winner for Babette's Feast (1987).
　　* Bille August, Oscar-winner for Pelle the Conqueror (1987).
　　* Thomas Vinterberg, celebrated for Festen (1998), co-creator of Dogme95.
　　* Lars von Trier, Oscar-nominated for Dancer in the Dark (2000), co-creator of Dogme95 and of Zentropa.
　　
　　A locally popular film genre is the charmingly simplistic "folkekomedie" (folk comedy), which originated in the 1930s and gained widespread dominance from the 1950s until the 1970s, usually scorned by critics and loved by the audience. Notable folkekomedie-films include Barken Margrethe (1934), De r?de heste (1950), Far til fire (1953) and Olsen-banden (1968).
　　
　　Since the 1980s, Danish filmmaking has been important to changing governments. The National Film School of Denmark has educated a generation of new award-winning directors. The funds for film project has been administrated by Filminstitutet, but their focus on movies that would achieve high tickets-sales locally has been criticized for being both too populist and too narrow-minded, by directors wishing to be artistic or international.
　　
　　Danish cinema remains highly respected internationally, and Danish films receive many awards at major international film festivals.
　　
　　Literature
　　
　　Danish Writers: Hans Christian Andersen, Karen Blixen, S?ren Kierkegaard, Ludvig Holberg, Georg Brandes, Aksel Sandermose, Henrik Pontoppidan, J.P. Jacobsen, Karl Gjellerup, Hans Scherfig, Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, Henrik Pontoppidan, Johannes V. Jensen, Dan Turéll, Gustav Wied, William Heinesen, Martin Andersen Nex?, Tom Kristensen, Peter H?eg etc.
　　
　　Sports
　　
　　The most popular sport in Denmark is football. Sailing and other water sports are popular, as are indoor sports such as badminton, handball and various forms of gymnastics. In Denmark there is also a small group of people doing motorsport, and with some success. The most successful driver on the 24 Hours of Le Mans race ever, with eight 1st places is Tom Kristensen, who comes from Denmark. In speedway Denmark has won several World Championships. Other notable Danish sportspeople include American football's National Football League all-time leading scorer Morten Andersen, cyclists Bjarne Riis, Rolf S?rensen, and Michael Rasmussen, badminton-players Peter Gade and Camilla Martin, table tennis-player Michael Maze, poker Hall of Fame player Gus Hansen and Peter Eastgate, football players Michael and Brian Laudrup and Peter Schmeichel. Teenager Caroline Wozniacki is rising up the rankings on the WTA tennis tour. Denmark is also the home and birthplace of former WBA & WBC Supermiddleweight boxing champion, Mikkel Kessler.
　　
　　1992 European champions
　　
　　In 1992, the national football team were crowned European champions. Remarkably, the team had finished second in their qualifying group behind Yugoslavia and as a result had failed to qualify for the final tournament. They gained their place in the tournament at the last moment when the warring Yugoslavs were expelled from the competition. Once in the finals the Danes reached the final where they defeated reigning World champions Germany.
　　
　　Music
　　
　　Denmark has long been a center of cultural innovation. Its capital, Copenhagen, and its multiple outlying islands have a wide range of folk traditions. Carl Nielsen, with his six imposing symphonies, was the first Danish composer to gain international recognition, while an extensive recording industry has produced pop stars and a host of performers from a multitude of genres. The famous drummer Lars Ulrich from Metallica is from Denmark. Among other names, Whigfield and the '90's pop band Aqua also come from Denmark, as well as current (March 2008) US hitlist top name Ida Corr and group Alphabeat. Natasja Saad was an up-coming star, in the world, but she died in a tragic car accident on Jamaica, 2008. Natasja made reggae, and 'Op Med Hovedet Min Ven' had a lot of succes, as well, as her song; 'I Danmark Er Jeg F?dt' (In Denmark I Was Born)
　　
　　Food
　　
　　The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden), as well as that of northern Germany, its neighbour to the south, consists mainly of meat and fish. This stems from the country's agricultural past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.
　　?bleskiver, Danish pancakes.
　　
　　Traditional Danish food includes frikadeller (fried meatballs, often served with potatoes and various sorts of gravy), karbonader/krebinetter (breaded and fried minced meat), steaks and so on, usually eaten with potatoes. Fish is also widely eaten, especially on the west coast of Jutland. A traditionally favourite condiment, remoulade, is eaten with french fries, on fried plaice, on salami or roast beef sandwiches. Smoked fish dishes (herring, mackerel, eel) from local smoking houses or r?gerier, especially on the island of Bornholm, are increasingly popular.
　　
　　Danish food also includes a variety of open rugbr?d (Rye-bread) sandwiches or sm?rrebr?d traditionally served for the mid-day meal or frokost. This usually starts with fish such as marinated herring, smoked eel or hot fried breaded plaice. Then come meat sandwiches such as cold roast beef with remoulade and fried onions, roast pork and crackling with red cabbage, hot veal medallions, Danish meat balls (frikadeller) or liver paté with bacon and mushrooms. Some typically Danish items are Sol over Gudhjem, literally 'sun over Gudhjem', consisting of smoked herring, chives and with raw egg yolk (the "sun") on top; or Dyrl?gens natmad, 'vet's late-night bite', with liver paté, saltmeat (corned veal), onions and jellied consommé. Finally cheese is served with radishes, nuts or grapes. Lager beer accompanied by small glasses of snaps or aquavit are the preferred drinks for a Danish frokost.
　　
　　International studies show that Denmark is the happiest country in the world.
　　
　　Military
　　
　　HMDS Absalon.
　　
　　Denmark's armed forces are known as the Danish Defence (Danish: Forsvaret). During peacetime, the Ministry of Defence in Denmark employs around 33,000 in total. The main military branches employ almost 27,000: 15,460 in the Royal Danish Army, 5,300 in the Royal Danish Navy and 6,050 in the Royal Danish Air Force (all including conscripts). The Danish Emergency Management Agency (Danish: Beredskabsstyrelsen) employs 2,000 (including conscripts), and about 4,000 are in non-branch-specific services like the Danish Defence Command, the Danish Defence Research Establishment, and the Danish Defense Intelligence Service. Furthermore around 55,000 serve as volunteers in the Danish Home Guard (Danish: Hjemmev?rnet).
　　
　　The Danish Defence currently (as of 9 April 2008) has around 1,400 staff in international missions, not including standing contributions to NATO SNMCMG1. The three largest contributions are in Afghanistan (ISAF, 696 persons), Kosovo (KFOR, 312 persons), and Lebanon (UNIFIL, 50 persons). Between 2003 and 2007, there were approximately 450 Danish soldiers in Iraq.

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