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Background:
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Once
the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European
power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation
that is participating in the general political and economic
integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now
the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain
elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including
the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and issues
concerning certain justice and home affairs.
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Location:
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Northern Europe,
bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula
north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland
and Fyn) |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total:
43,094 sq km
water: 700 sq km
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea
and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula,
and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the
Faroe Islands and Greenland
land: 42,394 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less
than twice the size of Massachusetts |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 68
km
border countries: Germany 68 km |
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Coastline:
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7,314 km |
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Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and
Definitions):
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territorial
sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation |
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Climate:
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temperate; humid
and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers |
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Terrain:
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low and flat to
gently rolling plains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Lammefjord -7 m
highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and
sand |
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Land use:
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arable land:
55.74%
permanent crops: 0.19%
other: 44.07% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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4,760 sq km (1998
est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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controls Danish
Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North
Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater
Copenhagen |
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Population:
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5,413,392 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
18.9% (male 523,888; female 497,420)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,808,376; female 1,774,388)
65 years and over: 15% (male 344,113; female 465,207)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
39.2 years
male: 38.3 years
female: 40.2 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.35% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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11.59
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.53
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.48 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
4.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 77.44 years
male: 75.17 years
female: 79.83 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,800 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than 100
(2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Dane(s)
adjective: Danish |
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Ethnic groups:
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Scandinavian,
Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali |
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Religions:
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Evangelical
Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim
2% |
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Languages:
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Danish, Faroese,
Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority)
note: English is the predominant second language |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA% |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form: Denmark
local short form: Danmark
local long form: Kongeriget Danmark |
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Government type:
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constitutional
monarchy |
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Capital:
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Copenhagen |
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Administrative divisions:
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metropolitan
Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 2 boroughs*
(amtskommuner, singular - amtskomunes); 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 overseas administrative divisions |
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Independence:
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first organized
as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a
constitutional monarchy |
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National holiday:
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none designated;
Constitution Day, 5 June is generally viewed as the National
Day |
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Constitution:
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1849 was the
original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5 June 1953,
allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of
state |
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Legal system:
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civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Executive branch:
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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 Anders Fogh
RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and
approved by Parliament
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the
leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime
minister by the monarch |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Parliament or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland
and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular
vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 November 2001 (next to be held
by November 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal
Party 31%, Social Democrats 29%, Danish People's Party 12%,
Conservative Party 9%, Socialist People's Party 6%, Social
Liberal Party 5%, Christian People's Party (now Christian
Democrats) 2%, Unity List 2%; seats by party - Liberal Party
56, Social Democrats 52, Danish People's Party 22,
Conservative Party 16, Socialist People's Party 12, Social
Liberal Party 9, Christian People's Party (now Christian
Democrats) 4, Unity List 4; note - does not include the 2
seats from Greenland and the 2 seats from the Faroe Islands |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
(judges are appointed by the monarch for life) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Center Democratic
Party [Mimi JAKOBSEN]; Christian Democrats (was Christian
People's Party) [Marianne KARLSMOSE]; Conservative Party
(sometimes known as Conservative People's Party) [Bendt
BENDTSEN]; Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal
Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; Social Democratic Party [Mogens
LYKKETOFT]; Social Liberal Party (sometimes called the Radical
Left) [Marianne JELVED, leader; Johannes LEBECH, chairman];
Socialist People's Party [Holger K. NIELSEN]; Red-Green Unity
List (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of
Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party) [collective leadership] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300
chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC
20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Stuart A. BERNSTEIN
embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen
mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716
telephone: [45] 35 55 31 44
FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23 |
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Economy - overview:
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This thoroughly
modern market economy features high-tech agriculture,
up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive
government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a
stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark
is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable
balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include
streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of
state assets. The government has been successful in meeting,
and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for
participating in the third phase (a common European currency)
of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark
has decided not to join 12 other EU members in the euro; even
so, the Danish Krone remains pegged to the euro. Given the
sluggish state of the European economy, growth in 2003 was a
mere 0.3%. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $167.7 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.3% (2003 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $31,200 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
3%
industry: 26%
services: 71% (2002 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%:
2%
highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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24.7 (1992) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.1% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.856 million
(2000 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 79%,
industry 17%, agriculture 4% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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6% (2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$52.9 billion
expenditures: $51.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $500 million (2001 est.) |
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Industries:
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food processing,
machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing, chemical
products, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood
products, shipbuilding, windmills |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1.4% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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35.47 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
82.7%
hydro: 0.1%
other: 17.3% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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32.41 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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8.775 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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8.199 billion kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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346,200 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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218,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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332,100 bbl/day
(2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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195,000 bbl/day
(2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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1.23 billion bbl
(1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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8.38 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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5.28 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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3.1 billion cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001
est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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81.98 billion cu
m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
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barley, wheat,
potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish |
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Exports:
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$64.16 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery and
instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish,
chemicals, furniture, ships, windmills |
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Exports - partners:
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Germany 19.4%,
Sweden 11.8%, UK 9.8%, US 6.4%, Norway 6%, France 4.7%,
Netherlands 4.5% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$54.47 billion
f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry,
chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 22.3%,
Sweden 12.1%, UK 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, France 6%, Norway
4.7%, Italy 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$21.7 billion
(2000) |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $1.63
billion (1999) |
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Currency:
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Danish krone (DKK) |
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Currency code:
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DKK |
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Exchange rates:
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Danish kroner per
US dollar - 6.59 (2003), 7.89 (2002), 8.32 (2001), 8.08
(2000), 6.98 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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3,700,900 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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4,477,800 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services
domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave
radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile
communications systems
international: country code - 45; 18 submarine
fiber-optic cables linking Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands,
Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden,
and UK; 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 worldwide Inmarsat access (1997) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 355,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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26 (plus 51
repeaters) (1998) |
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Internet country code:
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.dk |
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Internet hosts:
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836,631 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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2.756 million
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
3,164 km
standard gauge: 2,324 km 1.435-m gauge (595 km
electrified)
note:: total includes 840 km of suburban track (2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
71,591 km
paved: 71,591 km (including 880 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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417 km |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 12 km;
gas 3,892 km; oil 455 km; oil/gas/water 2 km; unknown
(oil/water) 64 km (2003) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Aabenraa, Aalborg,
Aarhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikshavn,
Hirtshals, Kolding, Odense, Roenne (Bornholm), Vejle |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 276
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,952,473 GRT/9,030,444 DWT
registered in other countries: 284 (2003 est.)
foreign-owned: Germany 1, Greece 1, Indonesia 2, Norway
5
by type: bulk 4, cargo 77, chemical tanker 36,
container 83, liquefied gas 15, livestock carrier 5, petroleum
tanker 27, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll
on/roll off 11, short-sea/passenger 5, specialized tanker 4 |
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Airports:
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99 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 3 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 71
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 65 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Royal Danish
Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home Guard |
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Military manpower - military age:
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18 years of age;
note - conscripts serve an initial training period that varies
from four to 12 months according to specialization; following
their conscript service, reservists are assigned to
mobilization units (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age
15-49: 1,276,087 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age
15-49: 1,088,751 (2004 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
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males:
30,333 (2004 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$3,271.6 million
(2003) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.6% (2003) |
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Disputes - international:
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Rockall
continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the
UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the
Rockall area) remains dormant; dispute with Iceland over the
Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary within 200 NM;
disputes with Iceland, the UK, and Ireland over the Faroe
Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM; Faroese
continue to study proposals for full independence; uncontested
dispute with Canada over Hans Island sovereignty in the
Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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