Once known as the Vikings, Denmark no longer raids its surrounding countries. This peninsula is located by Northern Germany, and is surrounded by the Baltic Sea to its east and the North Sea to its West. It has about 443 islands surrounding it, with Zealand being its biggest inhabited island. Denmark is part of Scandinavia, although it's not directly on the Scandinavian Peninsula, it's connected with Sweden from Zealand via the Oresund Bridge. 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 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 the second oldest Constitutional Monarchy today. Its Parliamentary Democracy is seated in Copenhagen, its capital. The crown is the head of the state, but most of her executive powers are exercised by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Ministers. Denmark is part of the European Union since 1973, which chose to keep its Danish Krone over the Euro. This Northern European country is also a member of the United Nations and NATO.
Although the temperate climate with an estimated 170 days of rainfall, one should not deter to experience the Midsummer, also known as Sankthansaften. This celebration takes place on the longest day in summer. One dish that is found during the celebration is the Risalamande, which is rice with almonds. The Danish cuisine consists mainly of meat and fish. Rye-bread, salami or roast beef sandwiches are also a big part of their daily diet, along with other traditional dishes such as fried meatballs, streaks, potatoes and gravy. A few activities the Danish enjoy are soccer, badminton, sailing, and cycling, as well as a few types of gymnastics. In 2007 the country's capital is ranked the second most livable city in the world by Monocle magazine and ranked as the happiest nation in the world.
Quick Facts
Population: 5,543,453
Capital: Copenhagen
Per-capita GDP: $ 37600
Size: 43,094 km2
Time Zone: (GMT + 01:00 hour) Brussels, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris
Country information is adapted from public domain resources including the CIA World Fact Book and www.Wikipedia.org.
Please report errors or concerns to questions@abroadoffice.net.
Hillsborough Community College Center for International Education
