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DenmarkThis article is about the country. For other uses see Denmark (disambiguation). The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest Nordic country, situated in Scandinavia, in northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula and a number of islands north of Germany, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway.
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Forming the centre of the westward Viking raids from the 9th to the 11th century, Danish kings ruled briefly over England.
about year 1200 Bornholm incorporated.
In 1397 the Kalmar Union unified the present-day countries Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands under the same Monarch.
Sweden (with Finland) left the union in 1523. Denmark subsequently lost its South-Scandinavian land (Skåneland) to Sweden (1658). In the 19th century Norway was ceded (1814) to Sweden after the Napoleonic Wars, and the rich duchies of Schleswig-Holstein were lost (1864) to Prussia. Gradually Iceland became independent during the 20th century, and today the Faroe Islands and are Greenland on the road of increased autonomy.
On April 9, 1940, Denmark was invaded by Germany and remained occupied througout World War II. After the war, Denmark became a member of NATO and, in due time, the European Union.
Since 1849, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, governed by the monarch, whose powers are largely symbolical. Denmark's parliament is unicameral, and named Folketing (179 seats). The party with the largest number of votes usually appoints a prime minister, who heads the executive branch of government, assisted by a cabinet of ministers.
Elections for parliament are usually held every four years; but the prime minister can call for an earlier election, if he decides so.
Denmark is divided into 14 counties (amter), and 273 municipalities[?] (kommuner):
Greenland and the Faroe Islands also belong to the Kingdom of Denmark, but have autonomous status and are largely self-governing, and are both represented by 2 seats in the parliament.
Denmark consists of the Jutland peninsula (jylland) and 405 named islands, of which 82 are inhabited, the most important are Funen (fyn) and Zealand (sjælland). The island of Bornholm is located somewhat east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the islands are connected by bridges; the Øresund Bridge connects Zealand with Sweden, and the Great Belt Bridge connects Fyn with Zealand.
The country is mostly flat with little elevation (highest point is Yding Skovhøj[?], at 173 m). The climate is temperate, with mild winters and cool summers. Main cities are the capital Copenhagen (on Zealand), Aarhus (on Jutland) and Odense (on Fyn).
This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has a comfortable balance of payments surplus. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a September 2000 referendum, reconfirmed its decision not to join the 11 other EU members in the euro. Even so, the Danish currency remains pegged to the euro.
The majority of the population is of Scandinavian descent, with small groups of Inuit (from Greenland), Faroese, and immigrants. Danish is spoken in the entire country, although a small group near the German border speaks German.
About 95% of the Danes are Lutherans; the rest are of other Christian denominations or muslims.
The best known Dane is probably Hans Christian Andersen, a writer mostly famous for his fairy tales, such as The Emperor's New Clothes and The Ugly Duckling[?].
Other well known Danes are existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and physicist Niels Bohr.
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Nytårsdag | |
| The Thursday before Easter Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Skærtorsdag | |
| The Friday before Easter Sunday | Good Friday | Langfredag | |
| March/April | Easter Sunday | Påskesøndag | The Danish celebrate three days of Easter. |
| The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday[?] | 2. Påskedag | |
| May 1 | Labour Day | Arbejdernes kampdag | Not everybody has this day off. |
| June 5 | Constitution Day[?] | Grundlovsdag | The signing of the Danish constitution in 1849. |
| Varies | St. Bededag | A collection of smaller christian holidays into one full day. | |
| 40 days after Easter | Ascension Day | Kr. Himmelfartsdag | |
| 7 weeks after Easter | Pentecost | Pinse | The Danish celebrate two days of Pentecost. |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | Juleaften | The children get presents on the eve before Christmas day. |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Juledag | The Danish celebrate three days of Christmas. |
| December 26 | 2. Christmas Day[?] | 2. Juledag |
Countries acceding to membership on May 1, 2004:
Cyprus | Czech Republic | Estonia | Hungary | Latvia | Lithuania | Malta | Poland | Slovakia | Slovenia
condemnation to such a life as his mother.html">mother's had been.
"You don't guess how I love her! She has been the bright light of my
Of course, if you are well, and still wishing it four or five years
No, don't thank me, for I trust to your honour to make no
bound."
It was a relief that Armine here came in, attracted by a report of
daughter, to whom she was guided by a sonata played with very
with a hand on the child.html">child's shoulder, and looking anxiously into the
sit in a draught, or get wet in his feet!" cried Babie, with the
mother's eyes, she added, "Of course, I am very sorry for him; but
Now Duke-—he is very go/good.html">good, and it is not his fault but his
wait for her hero. Though," she added, almost to herself, "she is
into letting her begin a private school of cookery, started up,
should like to send a taste to Sydney!"
Yes, Barbara was childish for nearly sixteen, and, as it struck her
cleverness and romance. It was better for her that the softening
could not but be at the moment with the warm-hearted, impulsive,
habits by his affection, rather than with the light-hearted child,
health. Had the young generation no hearts? Oh no-—no-—it could not
saving of pain and perplexity.
Poor Armine was not getting much comfort out of his friend, who was
mechanically assented at intervals to the proposition that it was an
go together. He heard all Armine's fallen castles about chapels,
whether they were or were not to be. And with all his desire to be
valuable, namely, to carry off the boy out of sight of the scene of
.
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