1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
Once the seat of rapacious Viking raiders and later a major power in northwestern Europe, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the political and economic integration of Europe. So far, however, they have opted out of some aspects of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty including the new monetary system launched on 1 January 1999.
Geography
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, 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: Ejer Bavnehoj 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-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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
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 Copenhagen
Irrigated land
4,350 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km
Land use
arable land: 60% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 10% other: 25% (1993 est.)
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany
Map references
Europe
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 4 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
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, stone, gravel and sand
Terrain
low and flat to gently rolling plains
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 18% (male 504,182; female 478,547) 15-64 years: 67% (male 1,811,445; female 1,765,038) 65 years and over: 15% (male 331,207; female 466,426) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
11.57 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
10.97 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Infant mortality rate
5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small minority)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 76.51 years male: 73.83 years female: 79.33 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Nationality
noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish
Net migration rate
3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
5,356,845 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
0.38% (1999 est.)
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%, other 7% (1988)
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 total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.62 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
metropolitan Denmark--14 counties (amter, singular--amt) and 2 kommunes*; Arhus, Bornholm, Fredericksberg*, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kobenhavn, Kobenhavns*, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde, Sonderjylland, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjalland, Viborg note: see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and are self-governing administrative divisions
Capital
Copenhagen
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
Country name
conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark
Data code
DA
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 Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since 25 January 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed 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, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G9, 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, OPCW, 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 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
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the monarch for life Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party [Poul
Legal system
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament or Folketing (179 seats; members are elected by popular vote 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: Liberal Party 43, Conservative Party 17, Danish People's Party 13, Center Democrats 8, Christian People's Party 4, Progress Party 4
National holiday
Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
grain, potatoes, rape, sugar beets; beef, dairy products; fish
Budget
revenues: $62.1 billion expenditures: $66.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)
Currency
1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere
Debt--external
$44 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--donor
ODA, $1.6 billion (1995)
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. Denmark chose not to join the 11 other EU members who launched the euro on 1 January 1999. Because of the global slowdown, GDP growth may fall to 1% in 1999.
Electricity--consumption
35.208 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
19.2 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
3.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
50.608 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 97.6% hydro: 0.05% nuclear: 0% other: 2.35% (1996)
Exchange rates
Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1--6.408 (January 1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1996), 5.602 (1995), 6.361 (1994)
Exports
$48.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities
machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, fuels, dairy products, ships, fish, chemicals
Exports--partners
Germany 21.4%, Sweden 11.6%, UK 9.6%, Norway 6.2%, France 5.3%, US 4.6%, Netherlands 4.5% (1997)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$124.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 4% industry: 27% services: 69% (1997)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$23,300 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
2.6% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 20.5% (1992)
Imports
$46.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities
machinery and equipment, petroleum, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, textiles, paper
Imports--partners
Germany 21.7%, Sweden 12.7%, Netherlands 7.8%, UK 7.6%, France 5.6%, Norway 5.2%, US 5.0%, Japan (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
1.3% (1996)
Industries
food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other wood products, shipbuilding
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.8% (1998 est.)
Labor force
2,895,950
Labor force--by occupation
private services 40%, government services 30%, manufacturing and mining 19%, construction 6%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5% (1995)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
6.5% (1998 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios
NA
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
Telephones
3.2 million (1995 est.); 822,000 cellular telephone subscribers
Television broadcast stations
78 (of which 35 are low-power stations; in addition, there are 51 low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
3 million (1996 est.)
Transportation
Airports
118 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 28 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 under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 90 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 82 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 71,600 km paved: 71,600 km (including 880 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 337 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,130,643 GRT/6,880,248 DWT ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 130, chemical tanker 19, container 73, liquefied gas tanker 26, livestock carrier 6, oil tanker 20, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 15, roll-on/roll-off cargo 21, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 3 note: 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 (1998 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
Railways
total: 3,323 km (458 km privately owned and operated) standard gauge: 3,323 km 1.435-m gauge (440 km electrified; 760 km double track) (1996)
Waterways
417 km
Military and Security
Military branches
Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$2.5 billion (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
1.6% (1999)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 1,316,584 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,129,870 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
20 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 32,130 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
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)