Denmark (dĕn'märk) , Dan. Danmark, officially Kingdom of Denmark, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 5,432,000), 16,629 sq mi (43,069 sq km), N Europe. It borders on Germany in the south, the North Sea in the west, the Skagerrak in the north, and the Kattegat and the Øresund in the east. Copenhagen is Denmark's capital, largest city, and chief industrial center. In addition to the capital, other important cities include Ålborg, Århus, Esbjerg, Frederiksberg and Gentofte (suburbs of Copenhagen), Lyngby, Odense, and Roskilde.
Land and People
The southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark proper includes most of the Jutland peninsula; several major islands, notably Sjælland, Fyn, Lolland, Falster, Langeland, Als, Møn, Bornholm, and Amager; and about 450 other islands. The Faeroe Islands and Greenland, in the North Atlantic, are self-governing dependencies within the Danish realm. A part of the European plain, the country is almost entirely low-lying, and more than 65% of its land area is cultivated. The North Atlantic Drift (a warm ocean current) usually ensures a relatively mild climate, but occasionally ice closes the Baltic Sea, thus cutting off warmer waters and making the winter quite severe.
In addition to Denmark's Scandinavian majority, there are Eskimo, Faeroese and German minorities. Almost all the inhabitants of Denmark speak Danish (there are several dialects), and Faeroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), and German are also spoken. The great majority of Danes belong to the established Lutheran Church; there are small minorities of other Protestants and Roman Catholics. Denmark has an excellent system of public education, developed largely in the 19th cent. There are universities at Århus, Copenhagen, and Odense.
Economy
Once essentially an agricultural country and still possessing a visibly rural landscape, Denmark after 1945 greatly expanded its industrial base so that by the 1990s industry contributed over 25% of the gross domestic product and agriculture less than 5% (Denmark's other traditional industries of fishing and shipbuilding have also declined). Financial and other services, trade, transportation, and communication are also important.
The main commodities raised are livestock (pigs, cattle, and poultry), root crops (beets, kohlrabi, and potatoes), and cereals (barley, oats, and wheat). There is a large fishing industry, and Denmark possesses a commercial shipping fleet of considerable size. The leading manufactures include food products (especially meat and dairy goods), chemicals, machinery, metal products (made almost entirely from imported raw materials, since Denmark has practically no mineral resources), electronic and transport equipment, beer, textiles, and paper and wood products. Tourism is also an important industry.
Denmark's main exports are agricultural and industrial machinery, teak and oak furniture, meat, fish, and metals and metal manufactures; the chief imports are machinery, metals, motor vehicles, and fuels. The country's leading trade partners are Germany, Sweden, Great Britain, and other European Union countries as well as the United States. Denmark suffered severe economic problems throughout the 1980s, and in the 1990s it had a high unemployment rate, large public-sector expenses, and a massive foreign debt. However, tight fiscal and monetary policies combined with an increasing export base held some promise of economic recovery.
Government
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, governed according to the 1953 constitution. Legislative power is vested in the monarch (who is also head of state) in conjunction with the unicameral Folketing (parliament) of 179 elected members. Executive power is exercised by the monarch through his or her ministers, led by the prime minister, who is the head of government. The cabinet of ministers is responsible to the Folketing and must have the support of the majority of that body. Administratively, Denmark proper is divided into 14 counties and one city, Copenhagen.
The reigning monarch is Queen Margaret (Margrethe) II, who succeeded her father, King Frederick IX, upon his death in 1972. In the period following 1945, the Social Democratic party has been the leading political party.
History
Ancient History to 1448
The Danes probably settled Jutland by c.10,000 B.C. and later (2d millennium B.C.) developed a Bronze Age culture there. However, little is known of Danish history before the age of the Vikings (9th–11th cent. A.D.), when the Danes had an important role in the Viking (or Norse) raids on Western Europe and were prominent among the invaders of England who were opposed by King Alfred (reigned 871–99) and his successors. St. Ansgar (801–65) helped convert the Danes to Christianity; Harold Bluetooth (d. c.985) was the first Christian king of Denmark. His son, Sweyn (reigned c.986–1014), conquered England. From 1018 to 1035, Denmark, England, and Norway were united under King Canute (Knut). The southern part of Sweden (Skåne, Halland, and Blekinge) was, with brief interruptions, part of Denmark until 1658.
After Canute's death, Denmark fell into a period of turmoil and civil war. Later, Waldemar I (reigned 1157–82) and Waldemar II (reigned 1202–41) were energetic rulers who established Danish hegemony over N Europe. With the end of the Viking raids and the development of a strong and independent church, the nobles were able to impose their will on the weaker kings. In 1282, Eric V (reigned 1259–86) was forced to submit to the Great Charter, which established annual parliaments and a council of nobles who shared the king's power. This form of government persisted until 1660.
Waldemar IV (reigned 1340–75) again brought Danish power to a high point, but he was humiliated by the Hanseatic League in the Treaty of Stralsund (1370). Waldemar's daughter, Queen Margaret, achieved (1397) the union of the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish crowns in her person (see Kalmar Union). Sweden soon escaped effective Danish rule, and with the accession (1523) of Gustavus I of Sweden the union was dissolved. However, the union with Norway lasted until 1814.
