Denmark is one of the Scandinavian countries placed in the North of Europe.

The country consists of the peninsula Jutland (Jylland) surrounded by 500 islands of which only a hundred are inhabited. The capital Copenhagen is placed on the largest Island Zealand (Sjælland). Odense is placed on the island Fyn, while Aarhus is placed in Jutland.

The population of Denmark is 5½ million people. Compared to the size of the country the capitol - Copenhagen - is a large city with approximately 1,5 million inhabitants. The second largest city is Aarhus with 300.000 citizens. Among other large towns are Aalborg, Odense and Esbjerg.

Transport
The main airport of Denmark is Kastrup - Copenhagen Airport - the largest airport in Scandinavia. In Jutland the main airports are Billund near Esbjerg and Aarhus Airport in Tirstrup. Arriving to Denmark by airplane you will most often be landing in Copenhagen. The airports of Aarhus and Billund only have few international flights. Among them connections to London, Sweden, Norway and Spain.

There are highways and regular intercity train connections connecting the larger cities and towns in the country.

The coming king of Denmark - crown prince Frederik

The kingdom
Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and considered to be the oldest kingdom of the World. The present queen Margrethe 2nd is considered to be a direct descendent of king Harald Bluetooth who became king of Denmark in year 958 - in the Viking age.

Money
Denmark is a member of the European Union but the currency is not Euro although the Danish Kroner is closely connected to the Euro. Only tourist shops, hotels etc. accept Euro for payment, while ordinary shops only accept Danish Kroner. 1 Euro is aprox. 7,50 Danish Kroner. 1 US$ is aprox 6,50 Danish Kroner (Read more about Danish money)

The rebuild Viking ship Sea Stallion from Glendalough at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde

Tourist attractions
Everything in Denmark is relatively small - including many of the tourist attractions. Many visitors has been surprised when they see the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen and realize that she is hardly the size of an adult person. Also the well-known house Hans Christian Andersen in Odense looks surprisingly small - although it feels larger once you enter the museum.

One of the big attractions is the Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. An exhibition of real Viking ships found near the coast.

In Århus The Old Town is the main attraction. Nearly an hour from Aarhus is the exhibition of the Frigate Jylland (Fregatten Jylland) - the longest wooden ship in the World. A tall sailing ship that among other voyages has been sailing visiting Saint Petersburg in Russia.

Trade and industry
Traditionally farming and agriculture and food production has been very important for the national economy and still the production of pork and cheese is very large. Industry now has taken over the status as most important economic factor. In the last decades the energy sector has grown dramatically. Among important products from Denmark are windmills (Vestas, Siemens), pumps (Grundfos), toys (Lego), medicine (Novo / Lundbeck) and design (Bang & Olufsen).

Denmark is surrounded by water and shipping is still an important part of Danish economy. Denmark's largest company is A.P. Møller - Mærsk - known as Maersk Sealand - transporting containers on ships everywhere in the World. It also is the owner of many other important companies in Denmark.

Food and restaurants
Traditionally Denmark has had a large production and export of food but only in the latest 10 - 15 years the gourmet food of Denmark has been known outside the country. Nordic Food has spread to restaurants all over the world partly because of the famous restaurant Noma which often has been called the best restaurant of the world. But many other restaurants and cooks has contributed the success of the nordic kitchen. Copenhagen has a growing number of restaurants with Michelin stars and also Aarhus and several other cities has a growing number of restaurants serving delicious food.

Environment and ecology
There is a pretty high interest in evironment and ecology among people in Denmark. This is clear for any visitor who sees the large number of windmills spread over the country. 20 percent of all electricity in the country is produced by windmills.

But also in the supermarkets the organic interest is clear. Almost 30 percent of fresh milk sold in Danish supermarkets is organic milk. Also the production of organic pork is high although still minor compared to the 25 million conventional pigs slaughtered every year in Denmark.

The official national homepage of Denmark is www.denmark.dk