Coordinates: 56°N 10°E / 56°N 10°E / 56; 10Denmark
(Danish: Danmark, pronounced [ˈtænmÉ'k] (listen)), officially the
Kingdom of Denmark,[N 10] is a Nordic country in Northern Europe.
Denmark proper,[N 2] which is the southernmost of the Scandinavian
countries, consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443
named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North
Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterised by flat, arable land
and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. Denmark lies
southwest of Sweden and south of Norway,[N 11] and is bordered to the
south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark is constitutionally a unitary
state comprising Denmark proper and the two autonomous territories in
the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark has
a total area of 42,924 km2 (16,573 sq mi), land area of 42,394 km2
(16,368 sq mi), and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe
Islands is 2,210,579 km2 (853,509 sq mi), and a population of 5.82
million in Denmark proper (as of 2020[update]).The unified kingdom of
Denmark emerged in the 8th century as a proficient seafaring nation in
the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea. Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway were ruled together under one sovereign ruler in the Kalmar
Union, established in 1397 and ending with Swedish secession in 1523.
The areas of Denmark and Norway remained under the same monarch until
1814, Denmarkâ€"Norway. Beginning in the 17th century, there were
several devastating wars with the Swedish Empire, ending with large
cessions of territory to Sweden. After the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was
ceded to Sweden, while Denmark kept the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and
Iceland. In the 19th century there was a surge of nationalist
movements, which were defeated in the First Schleswig War. After the
Second Schleswig War in 1864, Denmark lost the Duchy of Schleswig to
Prussia. Denmark remained neutral during World War I, however, in 1920
the northern half of Schleswig became Danish again. In April 1940, a
German invasion saw brief military skirmishes while the Danish
resistance movement was active from 1943 until the German surrender in
May 1945. An industrialised exporter of agricultural produce in the
second half of the 19th century, Denmark introduced social and
labour-market reforms in the early 20th century that created the basis
for the present welfare state model with a highly developed mixed
economy.The Constitution of Denmark was signed on 5 June 1849, ending
the absolute monarchy, which had begun in 1660. It establishes a
constitutional monarchy organised as a parliamentary democracy. The
government and national parliament are seated in Copenhagen, the
nation's capital, largest city, and main commercial centre. Denmark
exercises hegemonic influence in the Danish Realm, devolving powers to
handle internal affairs. Home rule was established in the Faroe
Islands in 1948; in Greenland home rule was established in 1979 and
further autonomy in 2009. Denmark became a member of the European
Economic Community (now the EU) in 1973, but negotiated certain
opt-outs; it retains its own currency, the krone. It is among the
founding members of NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, OSCE, and the
United Nations; it is also part of the Schengen Area. Denmark has
close ties to its Scandinavian neighbours also linguistically, with
the Danish language being partially mutually intelligible with both
Norwegian and Swedish.
(Danish: Danmark, pronounced [ˈtænmÉ'k] (listen)), officially the
Kingdom of Denmark,[N 10] is a Nordic country in Northern Europe.
Denmark proper,[N 2] which is the southernmost of the Scandinavian
countries, consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443
named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North
Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterised by flat, arable land
and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate. Denmark lies
southwest of Sweden and south of Norway,[N 11] and is bordered to the
south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark is constitutionally a unitary
state comprising Denmark proper and the two autonomous territories in
the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark has
a total area of 42,924 km2 (16,573 sq mi), land area of 42,394 km2
(16,368 sq mi), and the total area including Greenland and the Faroe
Islands is 2,210,579 km2 (853,509 sq mi), and a population of 5.82
million in Denmark proper (as of 2020[update]).The unified kingdom of
Denmark emerged in the 8th century as a proficient seafaring nation in
the struggle for control of the Baltic Sea. Denmark, Sweden, and
Norway were ruled together under one sovereign ruler in the Kalmar
Union, established in 1397 and ending with Swedish secession in 1523.
The areas of Denmark and Norway remained under the same monarch until
1814, Denmarkâ€"Norway. Beginning in the 17th century, there were
several devastating wars with the Swedish Empire, ending with large
cessions of territory to Sweden. After the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was
ceded to Sweden, while Denmark kept the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and
Iceland. In the 19th century there was a surge of nationalist
movements, which were defeated in the First Schleswig War. After the
Second Schleswig War in 1864, Denmark lost the Duchy of Schleswig to
Prussia. Denmark remained neutral during World War I, however, in 1920
the northern half of Schleswig became Danish again. In April 1940, a
German invasion saw brief military skirmishes while the Danish
resistance movement was active from 1943 until the German surrender in
May 1945. An industrialised exporter of agricultural produce in the
second half of the 19th century, Denmark introduced social and
labour-market reforms in the early 20th century that created the basis
for the present welfare state model with a highly developed mixed
economy.The Constitution of Denmark was signed on 5 June 1849, ending
the absolute monarchy, which had begun in 1660. It establishes a
constitutional monarchy organised as a parliamentary democracy. The
government and national parliament are seated in Copenhagen, the
nation's capital, largest city, and main commercial centre. Denmark
exercises hegemonic influence in the Danish Realm, devolving powers to
handle internal affairs. Home rule was established in the Faroe
Islands in 1948; in Greenland home rule was established in 1979 and
further autonomy in 2009. Denmark became a member of the European
Economic Community (now the EU) in 1973, but negotiated certain
opt-outs; it retains its own currency, the krone. It is among the
founding members of NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, OSCE, and the
United Nations; it is also part of the Schengen Area. Denmark has
close ties to its Scandinavian neighbours also linguistically, with
the Danish language being partially mutually intelligible with both
Norwegian and Swedish.
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