Denmark

Internet country code

.dk

Internet hosts

2,415,530 (2006)

Internet users

3,762,500 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)

Telephone system

general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems international: country code - 45; 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access (1997)

Telephones - main lines in use

3.35 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

5.469 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)

Agriculture - products

barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish

Budget

revenues: $144 billion expenditures: $135 billion; including capital expenditures of $4.6 billion (2005 est.)

Currency (code)

Danish krone (DKK)

Current account balance

$7.753 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$352.9 billion (30 June 2005)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

23.2 (2002)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $2 billion (2004)

Economy - overview

This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn accelerated through 2005. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish people enjoy living standards topped by no other nation. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees.

Electricity - consumption

31.68 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports

15.6 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports

7 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production

43.32 billion kWh (2003)

Exchange rates

Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001)

Exports

$84.95 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills

Exports - partners

Germany 17.5%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 8.8%, US 6.4%, France 5.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, Norway 5.1% (2005)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$243.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$189.3 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.8% industry: 24.6% services: 73.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$34,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.2% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)

Imports

$74.69 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners

Germany 20.5%, Sweden 13.8%, Norway 6.6%, Netherlands 6.6%, UK 6%, China 4.7%, France 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2005)

Industrial production growth rate

1.6% (2005 est.)

Industries

iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

20.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Labor force

2.9 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 3% industry: 21% services: 76% (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

5.173 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

3.1 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

7.965 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

73.51 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Oil - consumption

188,300 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports

332,100 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

195,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

376,900 bbl/day (2003)

Oil - proved reserves

1.23 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

37% of GDP (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$34.03 billion (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.7% (2005 est.)

Area

total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Climate

temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Coastline

7,314 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Environment - current issues

air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

56 00 N, 10 00 E

Geography - note

controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen

Irrigated land

4,490 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km

Land use

arable land: 52.59% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 47.22% (2005)

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand

Terrain

low and flat to gently rolling plains

Administrative divisions

metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs* (amtskommuner, singular - amtskommune); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg note: as a result of an extensive 2005 local government reform, with 2006 being a transition year, 275 municipalities will be merged to 99 by 1 January 2007, and the 14 counties will be reorganized into five regions

Capital

name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of 5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716 telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00 FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001) cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Flag description

red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Independence

first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy

International organization participation

AfDB, Arctic Council, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Legal system

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 29%, Social Democrats 25.9%, Danish People's Party 13.2%, Conservative Party 10.3%, Social Liberal Party 9.2%, Socialist People's Party 6%, Unity List 3.4%; seats by party - Liberal Party 52, Social Democrats 47, Danish People's Party 24, Conservative Party 18, Social Liberal Party 17, Socialist People's Party 11, Unity List 6; note - does not include the 2 seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands

National holiday

none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day

Political parties and leaders

Christian Democrats (was Christian People's Party) [Bodil KORNBEK]; Conservative Party (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership]; Social Democratic Party [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Soren BALD, chairman]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 1,175,108 females age 18-49: 1,150,627 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 955,168 females age 18-49: 935,643 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually

males age 18-49: 31,317 females age 18-49: 29,558 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet, Tactical Air Command (2006)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.5% (2004)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory and volunteer military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from four to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004)

Age structure

0-14 years: 18.7% (male 523,257/female 496,697) 15-64 years: 66.1% (male 1,815,240/female 1,787,406) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 355,656/female 472,405) (2006 est.)

Birth rate

11.13 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

10.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups

Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

5,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Languages

Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.79 years male: 75.49 years female: 80.22 years (2006 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Median age

total: 39.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 40.7 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish

Net migration rate

2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Population

5,450,661 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate

0.33% (2006 est.)

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Disputes - international

Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland

Airports

92 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 64 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 61 (2006)

Merchant marine

total: 293 ships (1000 GRT or over) 7,986,735 GRT/9,936,431 DWT by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 63, chemical tanker 48, container 86, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: 25 (Canada 1, Germany 13, Greece 5, Greenland 1, Norway 3, Sweden 1, UK 1) registered in other countries: 409 (Antigua and Barbuda 14, Bahamas 59, Belgium 4, Cayman Islands 5, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Estonia 2, France 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2, Gibraltar 1, Hong Kong 6, Isle of Man 53, North Korea 1, Liberia 8, Lithuania 10, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 2, Netherlands 9, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 32, Panama 34, Portugal 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Singapore 52, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 4, UK 46, US 24, Vanuatu 6, Venezuela 3, Vietnam 1) (2006)

Pipelines

condensate 12 km; gas 3,931 km; oil 626 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Aalborg, Aarhus, Asnaesvaerkets, Copenhagen, Elsinore, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn, Kalundborg, Odense, Roenne

Railways

total: 2,673 km standard gauge: 2,673 km 1.435-m gauge (601 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways

total: 72,257 km paved: 72,257 km (including 1,032 km of expressways) (2005)

Waterways

400 km (2001)