Denmark Facts

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Located in northern Europe, Denmark consists of the mainland of Jutland and 406 islands. Fertile farmland covers 64 percent of the country, which is among the flattest in the world. A stepping-stone between the European mainland and the Scandinavian peninsula, Denmark has been integral to NATO defense since 1949. Membership in the European Union gives ready access to markets for its pork and dairy products. However, Danes rejected adopting the euro currency in 2000.

Denmark has earned more from manufacturing than from agriculture since the 1960s. Devastation of lobster colonies by industrial pollution has prompted imposition of some of the world's strictest environmental standards. More and more Danes are using alternative energy sources—wind power, solar energy, and geothermal heat—for environmental and economic reasons. Wind is an increasingly important source of energy in Denmark, and windmills are an important export.

With its palaces and gardens, Copenhagen hosts more visitors than any other Nordic city. Tivoli, founded in 1843, is a world-famous amusement park in downtown Copenhagen. Also popular is Legoland, near Vejle on the Jutland peninsula, with famous features created with Lego blocks—like Mount Rushmore. English is widely spoken in Denmark, as it is a required subject in the public school system. The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy that includes the self-governing territories of the Faroe Islands, in the Norwegian Sea, and Greenland, the world's largest island.

ECONOMY

• Industry: Food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical products
• Agriculture: Barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork; fish
• Exports: Machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, chemicals

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition