Denmark

Kingdom of DenmarkKongeriget Danmark

constitutional monarchy

Denmark as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 98 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalCopenhagen
Position56 00 N, 10 00 E
Area43,094 sq km
LocationNorthern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,
1998

Every edition of Denmark

Populationas each edition published it
5.33 million July 1998 est. · 5.13m in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.49% 1998 est. · 0.23% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 39.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
76.31 years 1998 est. · 75.51 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.68 children per woman 1998 est. · 1.6 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
5.17 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 6 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$23,200 1997 est. · $18,200 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3% 1997 est. · 1% in 1993

Geography

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, | on a peninsula north of Germany

18 fields

Land useshare of 43,094 sq km

arable land 60%permanent crops 0%permanent pastures 5%forests and woodland 10%other 25% (1993 est.)irrigated 4,350 sq km (1993 est.)
Area
43,094sq km
land: 42,394 sq kmwater: 700 sq kmnote: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenlandslightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Coastline
7,314km
contiguous zone: 4 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 3 nm
Highest point
173m
Ejer Bavnehojlowest point: Lammefjord -7 m
Land boundaries
68km
border countries: Germany 68 km

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany

Geographic coordinates

56 00 N, 10 00 E

Climate

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

Terrain

low and flat to gently rolling plains

Natural resources

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

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

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography-note

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

People

15 fields
Population
5,333,617
(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 0.49% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth
12.18Death
11.08Net migration
3.77

Religions(1988)

Evangelical Lutheran 91%other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%other 7% (1988)
Literacy
99%
(1980 est.)definition: age 15 and over can read and writemale: NA%female: NA%

Age structure

0-14 years:
18% (male 496,886; female 471,891)
15-64 years:
67% (male 1,807,384; female 1,760,353)
65 years and over:
15% (male 330,385; female 466,718) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
76.31 years
male:
73.64 years
female:
79.12 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Dane(s)
adjective:
Danish

Ethnic groups

Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German

Languages

Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small minority)

Government

Constitutional monarchy; Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25 January 1993)

20 fields

Country name

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

Government type

constitutional monarchy

Administrative divisions

  • metropolitan Denmark-14 counties (amter, singular-amt) and 2 kommunes*;
  • (stad);
  • Arhus, Bornholm, Fredericksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavn*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg

note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative divisions

Independence

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

National holiday

Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)

Constitution

1849 was the original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5 June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the queen (born 26 May 1968)
head of government:
Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25 January 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the queen
elections:
  • none;
  • the queen is a constitutional monarch;
  • prime minister appointed by the queen

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 11 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results:
percent of vote by party-NA; seats by
party-progovernment parties:
  • Social Democrats 65, Socialist People's Party 13, Radical Liberal Party 7, Unity Party 5;
  • opposition: Progress Party 42, Conservative People's Party 16, Danish People's Party 13, Center Democrats 8, other parties 10

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the monarch for life

Political parties and leaders

  • Social Democratic Party [Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN];
  • Conservative Party [Torben RECHENDORFF];
  • Liberal Party [Uffe ELLEMANN-JENSEN];
  • Socialist People's Party [Holger K. NIELSEN];
  • Progress Party [Kirsten JAKOBSEN];
  • Center Democratic Party [Mimi JAKOBSEN];
  • Social Liberal Party [Marianne JELVED];
  • Unity Party [none];
  • Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD];
  • Radical Liberal Party [Margrethe VESTAGER];
  • Conservative People's Party [Torben RECHENDORFF]

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Knud-Erik TYGESEN
chancery:
3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-4300

FAX

[1] (202) 328-1470; consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward E. ELSON
embassy:
Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address:
PSC 73, APO AE 09716
telephone:
[45] (31) 42 31 44

FAX

[45] (35) 43 02 23

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

Economy

28 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
-$122.5billion
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
GDP per capita, PPP
-$23,200
purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)
Real growth rate
3%
(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 1.3% (1996)

GDP-composition by sector(1995)

agriculture 4%industry 27%services 69% (1995)

Budget

Revenues
$62.1 billionExpenditures
$66.4 billion (1996 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA
Fixed lines
4.025 million
(1995 est.), of which 822,000 are mobile telephones

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, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food. The center-left coalition government will concentrate on reducing the persistently high unemployment rate and the budget deficit as well as following the previous government's policies of maintaining low inflation and a current account surplus.

The coalition also vows to maintain a stable currency. The coalition has lowered marginal income taxes while maintaining overall tax revenues; boosted industrial competitiveness through labor market and tax reforms and increased research and development funds; and improved welfare services for the neediest while cutting paperwork and delays.

Prime Minister RASMUSSEN's reforms focus on adapting Denmark to the criteria for European integration by 1999; Copenhagen has won from the European Union (EU) the right to opt out of the European Monetary Union (EMU). Denmark is, in fact, one of the few EU countries likely to fit into the EMU on time. Growth may fall off slightly to 2.8% in 1998, and inflation may rise to 2.5%.

Labor force

total:
2,895,950
by occupation:
private services 40%, government services 30%, manufacturing and mining 19%, construction 6%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5% (1995)

Unemployment rate

7.9% (1997 est.)

Industries

food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other wood products, shipbuilding

Electricity-capacity

10.604 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production

34.244 billion kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

  • grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets;
  • meat, dairy products;
  • fish

Exports

total value:
$48.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:
machinery and instruments 25%, meat and meat products, fuels, dairy products, ships, fish, chemicals
partners:
Germany 22.5%, Sweden 9.7%, UK 7.9%, Norway 5.9%, France 5.4%, Netherlands 4.4%, US 4.0% (1995)

Imports

total value:
$43.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, petroleum 25%, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, textiles, paper
partners:
Germany 21.7%, Sweden 11.7%, Netherlands 7.0%, UK 6.6%, France 5.2%, Norway 4.9%, US 4.7%, Japan 3.5%, FSU 1.7% (1995)

Debt-external

$44 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $1.34 billion (1993)

Currency

1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere

Exchange rates

Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1-6.916 (January 1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1996), 5.602 (1995), 6.361 (1994), 6.484 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

excellent telephone and telegraph services

domestic:
buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, four cellular radio communications systems
international:
  • 18 submarine fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Canada;
  • 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 world-wide Inmarsat access

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0

Televisions

3 million (1996 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Merchant marine, 327 ships by typeships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,972,331 GRT/6,894,091 DWT

bulk 14cargo 118chemical tanker 16container 76liquefied gas tanker 24livestock carrier 6oil tanker 25railcar carrier 1refrigerated cargo 14roll-on/roll-off cargo 22short-sea passenger 9specialized tanker 2note: Denmark has created its own internal register, called the Danish International Ship register (DIS); DIS ships do not have to meet Danish manning regulations, and they amount to a flag of convenience within the Danish register (1997 est.)

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
3
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 13

Airports by runway lengthunpaved only

under 914 m
82
total: 90 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7

Networkskm

Highways
71,600Railways
3,358Waterways
417
Highways: paved: 71,600 km (including 880 km of expressways) · unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.) · Railways: (510 km privately owned and operated) · standard gauge: 3,358 km 1.435-m gauge (440 km electrified; 760 km double track) (1996)

Railways

total:
3,358 km (510 km privately owned and operated)
standard gauge:
3,358 km 1.435-m gauge (440 km electrified; 760 km double track) (1996)

Highways

total:
71,600 km
paved:
71,600 km (including 880 km of expressways)
unpaved:
0 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines

  • crude oil 110 km;
  • petroleum products 578 km;
  • natural gas 700 km

Ports and harbors

Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Grena, Koge, Odense, Struer

Airports

118 (1997 est.)

Military

Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish | Air Force, Home Guard

7 fields

Military branches

Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 1,324,150 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service

males: 1,137,563 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$2.9 billion (1997 est.)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes-international

Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Iceland, Ireland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area) DJIBOUTI

Central Intelligence Agency. “Denmark.” The World Factbook 1998. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/denmark/1998.

How to cite ← 1997 edition 1999 edition →