{{Infobox Country or territory
|native_name = ''Kongeriget Danmark''
|conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Denmark
|common_name = Denmark
|image_flag = Flag of Denmark.svg
|image_coat = Denmark coa2.svg|200px
|national_motto = none
(Royal motto: ''Guds hjælp, Folkets kærlighed, Danmarks styrke''
"The Help of God, the Love of the People, the Strength of Denmark")
|image_map = EU location DEN.png
|map_caption = |national_anthem = ''Der er et yndigt land'' (national)
''Kong Christian'' (royal and national)
|official_languages = Danish¹
|demonym = Danish
|capital = Copenhagen
|latd=55 |latm=43 |latNS=N |longd=12 |longm=34 |longEW=E
|largest_city = capital
|government_type = Constitutional monarchy
|leader_title1 = Monarch
|leader_title2 = Prime Minister
|leader_name1 = Margrethe II
|leader_name2 = Anders Fogh Rasmussen
|accessionEUdate = 1 January 1973
|area_km2 = 43,094
|area_sq_mi = 16,639²
|area_rank = 134th²
|area_magnitude = 1 E10
|percent_water = 1.6²
|population_estimate = 5,457,415
|population_estimate_year = 2007
|population_estimate_rank = 109th
|population_density_km2 = 128.73
|population_density_sq_mi = 333.41
|population_density_rank = 78th²
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006
|GDP_PPP = $198.5 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank = 45th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $37,000
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 6th
|GDP_nominal = $256.3 billion
|GDP_nominal_rank = 27th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2006
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $46,600
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 6th
|Gini = 24.7
|Gini_year = 1997
|Gini_rank = 1st
|Gini_category = low
|HDI_year = 2004
|HDI = 0.943
|HDI_rank = 15th
|HDI_category = high
|sovereignty_type = Consolidation
|sovereignty_note = (prehistoric)
|currency = Danish krone
|currency_code = DKK
|time_zone = CET²
|utc_offset = +1
|time_zone_DST = CEST²
|utc_offset_DST = +2
|cctld = .dk^2,3
|calling_code = 45
|calling_code_note = ⁴
|footnotes = ¹ Co-official with Greenlandic in Greenland, and Faroese in the Faroe Islands. German is recognised as a protected minority language in the South Jutland area of Denmark. Danish is recognized as a protected minority language in the Schleswig-Holstein region of Germany.
² For Denmark excluding the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
³ The TLD .eu is shared with other European Union countries.
⁴ The Faroe Islands use +298 and Greenland uses +299.
}}

Denmark, officially the Kingdom of Denmark (, , (archaic:) ) is the southernmost and territorially the smallest of the five Nordic countries if its offshore territories are excluded, and the largest if they are included. Denmark is one of the Scandinavian countries. The mainland is located north of its only land neighbour, Germany, southwest of Sweden, and south of Norway. Denmark also encompasses two off-shore territories, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, granted home rule in 1948 and 1979, respectively. The national capital is Copenhagen.

Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland, which borders northern Germany, plus a large number of islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Vendsyssel-Thy, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago. Denmark has historically controlled the approach to the Baltic Sea, and these waters are also known as the Danish straits.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and has been a member of the European Union since joining the European Economic Community in 1973. The Faroe Islands and Greenland remain outside the EU, including the EU customs zone.

Originally relying on farming, fishing and seafaring and without major natural resources, Denmark experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and early 20th century. These trends enabled the establishment of a Scandinavian Model ''"welfare state"'' of public services, starting with the 1933 social reforms known as the ''Kanslergade Agreement''. Denmark was occupied by Germany during World War II and, ending a tradition of political neutrality in 1949, became one of the founding members of NATO.In 2006 a survey found Denmark to be the happiest place in the world, based on standards of health, welfare, and education. In 2007 the country's capital is ranked the second most liveable city in the world by Monocle magazine http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/6704767.stm and ranked as the happiest nation in the world.

Prehistoric Denmark

The earliest archaeological findings in Denmark date back to 130,000–110,000 BC in the Eem interglacial period.Michaelsen (2002), p. 19. People have inhabited Denmark since about 12,500 BC, and agriculture has been in evidence since around 3,900 BC. The Nordic Bronze Age (1,800–600 BC) in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings, including lurs and the Sun Chariot.

During the Pre-Roman Iron Age (500 BC – AD 1), native groups began migrating south, although the first Danish people came to Denmark between the Pre-Roman and Germanic Iron Age,Busck and Poulsen (ed.) (2002), p. 20. in the Roman Iron Age (AD 1–400). The Roman provinces maintained trade routes and relations with native tribes in Denmark, and Roman coins have been found in Denmark. Evidence of strong Celtic cultural influence dates from this period in Denmark and much of northwest Europe, and is among other things reflected in the finding of the Gundestrup cauldron..

Historians believe that Jutland before the arrival of precursors to the Danes, who came from the east Danish islands (Zealand) and Skåne and spoke an early form of north Germanic, most of Jutland and some islands were settled by Jutes. They later migrated to the British isles, together with Angles and Saxons to form the Anglo-Saxons.

The exact origins of a unified Danish state have been lost in history. However, a short note about the ''Dani'' in "The Origin and Deeds of the Goths" from 551 AD by historian Jordanes is believed by some to be an early mention of the ''Danes'',Busck and Poulsen (ed.) (2002), p. 19. one of the ethnos from whom the modern Danish people are descended. The Danevirke defence structures were built in phases from the 3rd century forward,Michaelsen (2002), pp. 122–23. and the sheer size of the construction efforts in 737 are attributed to the emergence of a Danish king. The new runic alphabet was first used at the same time, and Ribe, the oldest town of Denmark, was founded about 700.

Pre Christian Denmark

In the early 8th century, Charlemagne's Christian empire had expanded to the south border of the Danes. Danes were aware of the massacre of pagans in Germania, that threat made Danes and other Scandinavians organise. From this period to the next centuries the Danes were known as Vikings, together with Norwegians and Geats, with their great skills in shipbuilding they colonized, raided, and traded the coasts and rivers of Europe. Viking explorers first discovered Iceland by accident in the 9th century, on the way towards the Faroe Islands, and eventually came across "Vinland" (Land of Grass/Land of Meadows), also known today as Newfoundland, in Canada. The Danish Vikings were most active in the British Isles and Western Europe, and they temporarily conquered and settled parts of England (known as the Danelaw), Ireland, France and founded Normandy,and more Anglo-Saxon pence of this period have been found in Denmark than in England, however, as attested by the Jelling stones, the Danes were united and Christianized about 965 by Harald Bluetooth. It is believed that Denmark became Christian to prevent invasion by the rising Holy Roman Empire in Germania which was a constitution by Charlemagne, that made Harald Bluetooth built six fortresses around Denmark, collectively called trelleborge and built a further on the defense structure Danevirke.

Recent history

Two centuries of wars with Sweden followed. King Christian IV attacked Sweden in the 1611–13 Kalmar War but failed to accomplish his main objective of forcing Sweden to return to the union with Denmark. The war led to no territorial changes, but Sweden was forced to pay a war indemnity of 1 million silver riksdaler to Denmark, an amount known as the ''Älvsborg ransom''. Christian used this money to found several towns and fortresses, most notably Glückstadt (founded as a rival to Hamburg), Christiania (following a fire destroying the original city), Christianshavn, Christianstad, and Christiansand. Christian also constructed a number of buildings, most notably Børsen, Rundetårn, Nyboder, Rosenborg, a silver mine and a copper mill. Inspired by the Dutch East India Company, he founded a similar Danish company. Christian had planned to claim Sri Lanka as a colony but the company only managed to acquire Tranquebar on India's Coromandel Coast. In the Thirty Year's War, Christian tried to become the leader of the Lutheran states in Germany, but suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Lutter resulting in a Catholic army under Albrecht von Wallenstein occupying and pillaging Jutland. Denmark managed to avoid territorial concessions, but Gustavus Adolphus' intervention in Germany was seen as a sign that the military power of Sweden was on the rise while Denmark's influence in the region was declining. In 1643, Swedish armies invaded Jutland and in 1644 Skåne. In the 1645 Treaty of Brømsebro, Denmark surrendered Halland, Gotland, the last parts of Danish Estonia, and several provinces in Norway. In 1657, king Frederick III declared war on Sweden and marched on Bremen-Verden. This led to a massive Danish defeat and the armies of King Charles X Gustav of Sweden conquered both Jutland, Funen and much of Zealand before signing the Peace of Roskilde in February 1658 which gave Sweden control of Skåne, Blekinge, Trøndelag and the island of Bornholm. Charles X Gustav quickly regretted not having destroyed Denmark completely and in August 1658 he began a two-year long siege of Copenhagen but failed to take the capital. In the following peace settlement, Denmark managed to maintain its independence and regain control of Trøndelag and Bornholm.

Denmark tried to regain control of Skåne in the Scanian War (1675-79) but it ended in failure. Following the Great Northern War (1700–21), Denmark managed to restore control of the parts of Schleswig and Holstein ruled by the house of Holstein-Gottorp in 1721 and 1773, respectively. Denmark prospered greatly in the last decades of the 18th century due to its neutral status allowing it to trade with both sides in the many contemporary wars. In the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark originally tried to pursue a policy of neutrality to continue the lucrative trade with both France and the United Kingdom and joined the League of Armed Neutrality with Russia, Sweden and Prussia. The British considered this a hostile act and attacked Copenhagen in both 1801 and 1807, in one case carrying off the Danish fleet, in the other, burning large parts of the Danish capital. These events mark the end of the prosperous ''Florissant Age'' and resulted in the Dano-British Gunboat War. British control over the waterways between Denmark and Norway proved disastrous to the union's economy and in 1813, Denmark-Norway went bankrupt. The post-Napoleonic Congress of Vienna demanded the dissolution of the Dano-Norwegian union, and this was confirmed by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. Denmark-Norway had briefly hoped to restore the Scandinavian union in 1809, but these hopes were dashed when the estates of Sweden rejected a proposal to let Frederick VI of Denmark succeed the deposed Gustav IV Adolf and instead gave the crown to Charles XIII. Norway entered a new union with Sweden which lasted until 1905. Denmark kept the colonies of Iceland, Faroe Islands and Greenland. Apart from the Nordic colonies, Denmark ruled over Danish India (Tranquebar in India) from 1620 to 1869, the Danish Gold Coast (Ghana) from 1658 to 1850, and the Danish West Indies (the U.S. Virgin Islands) from 1671 to 1917.

The Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s, and after the European Revolutions of 1848 Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849.

After the Second War of Schleswig (Danish: ''Slesvig'') in 1864, Denmark was forced to cede Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia, in a defeat that left deep marks on the Danish national identity. After these events, Denmark returned to its traditional policy of neutrality, also keeping Denmark neutral in World War I. Following the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the then-German region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark. Fearing German irredentism, Denmark refused to consider the return of the area and insisted on a plebiscite concerning the return of Schleswig. The two Schleswig Plebiscites took place on 10 February and 14 March, respectively. On 10 July 1920, after the plebiscite and the King's signature (9 July) on the reunion document, Northern Schleswig (Sønderjylland) was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding 163,600 inhabitants and 3,984 km². The reunion day (Genforeningsdag) is celebrated every year 15 June on Valdemarsdag.

Germany's invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940 — codenamed Operation Weserübung — met only two hours of military resistance before the Danish government surrendered, and Economic cooperation between Germany and Denmark continued until 1943, when the Danish Government refused further co-operation and the Navy sank most of the Danish fleet and sent as many of their officers as they could to Sweden. During the war, Iceland severed ties to Denmark and became an independent republic, and in 1948 the Faroe Islands gained home rule. After the war, Denmark became one of the founding members of the United Nations and NATO and in 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, joined the European Economic Community (now the European Union) after a public referendum. Greenland gained home rule in 1979.

Politics

The Kingdom of Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. As stipulated in the Danish Constitution, the monarch is not answerable for his or her actions, and his or her person is sacrosanct. The monarch appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and other ministers. Before being validated through royal assent, all bills and important government measures must be discussed in the ''Statsrådet'', a privy council headed by the monarch. The Danish privy council's protocols are secret.

While executive authority belongs to the monarch (as head of state), legislative authority is vested in the monarch and the Danish parliament conjointly. Judicial authority lies with the courts of justice.

Executive authority is exercised on behalf of the monarch by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the prime minister, and other ministers collectively make up the government. These ministers are responsible to Folketinget (the Danish Parliament), the legislative body, which is traditionally considered to be supreme (that is, able to legislate on any matter and not bound by decisions of its predecessors).

The ''Folketing'' is the national legislature. It has the ultimate legislative authority according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty, however questions over sovereignty have been brought forward because of Denmark’s entry into the European Union. In theory however, the doctrine prevails. Parliament consists of 179 members elected by proportional majority.
Parliamentary elections are held at least every four years, but it is within the powers of the prime minister to call one sooner. On a vote of no confidence the parliament may force the entire government to resign.

The Danish political system has traditionally generated coalitions. Most Danish post-war governments have been minority coalitions ruling with parliamentary support.

Since November 2001, the Danish Prime Minister has been Anders Fogh Rasmussen from the Venstre party, a center-right liberal party. The government is a coalition consisting of Venstre and the Conservative People's Party, with parliamentary support from the Danish People's Party (Dansk Folkeparti).

Geography

Denmark's northernmost point is Skagens point (the north beach of the Skaw) at 57° 45' 7" northern latitude, the southernmost is Gedser point (the southern tip of Falster) at 54° 33' 35" northern latitude, the westernmost point is Blåvandshuk at 8° 4' 22" eastern longitude, and the easternmost point is Østerskær at 15° 11' 55" eastern longitude. This is in the archipelago Ertholmene 18 kilometres northeast of Bornholm. The distance from east to west is , from north to south .

Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland ''(Jylland)'' and 443 named islands (1419 islands above 100 m² in total (2005)). Of these, 76 are inhabited, with the largest being Zealand ''(Sjælland)'' and Funen ''(Fyn)''. The island of Bornholm is located somewhat east of the rest of the country, in the Baltic Sea. Many of the larger islands are connected by bridges; the Øresund Bridge connects Zealand with Sweden, the Great Belt Bridge connects Funen with Zealand, and the Little Belt Bridge connects Jutland with Funen. Ferries or small aircraft connect to the smaller islands. Main cities are the capital Copenhagen (on Zealand), Århus, Aalborg and Esbjerg (on Jutland) and Odense (on Funen).

The country is flat with little elevation; having an average height above sea level of only and the highest natural point is Møllehøj, at . Other hills in the same area southwest of Århus are Yding Skovhøj at and Ejer Bavnehøj at . The area of inland water is: (eastern Denmark) 210 km² (81 sq mi); (western D.) 490 km² (189 sq mi).

Denmark is split into 443 named islands which results in a long coastline, 7,314 kilometres (4,544 mi). A perfect circle enclosing the same area as Denmark would have a circumference of only 742 kilometres (461 mi). Another feature that shows the close connection between the land and ocean is that no location in Denmark is farther from the coast than 52 kilometres (32.3 mi). The size of the land area of Denmark cannot be stated exactly since the ocean constantly erodes and adds material to the coastline, and because of human land reclamation projects (to counter erosion). On the southwest coast of Jutland, the tide is between 1 and 2 metres (3 to 6.5 feet), and the tideline moves outward and inward on a 10 kilometres (6 mi) stretch. Nationalencyklopedin,(1990)

The climate is in the temperate zone. The winters are not particularly cold with mean temperatures in January and February of 0.0 °C and the summers are cool with mean temperature in August 15.7 °C. There is a lot of wind, which is stronger during the winter and weaker during the summer. Denmark has an average of 170 rainy days. The greatest rainfall comes in November.

Because of Denmark's northern location, the length of the day with sunlight varies greatly. There are short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 9:30 a.m. and sunset 4:30 p.m., as well as long summer days with sunrise at 3:30 a.m. and sunset at 10 p.m. The shortest and longest days of the year have traditionally been celebrated. The celebration for the shortest day corresponds roughly with Christmas (Danish: ''jul'') and modern celebrations concentrate on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The Norse word ''jól'' is a plural, indicating that pre-Christian society celebrated a season with multiple feasts.Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Jul''. Christianity introduced the celebration of Christmas, resulting in the use of the Norse name also for the Christian celebration. Efforts by the Catholic Church to replace this name with ''kristmesse'' were unsuccessful. The celebration for the longest day is Midsummer Day, which is known in Denmark as ''sankthansaften'' (''St. John's evening'').Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Sankthansaften'' Celebrations of Midsummer have taken place since pre-Christian times.Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, entry ''Majskikke''.

Regions and municipalities

:''For the administrative divisions used until 2006, see Counties of Denmark.''

Denmark is divided into five regions (Danish: ''regioner'', singular: ''region'') and a total of 98 municipalities. The regions were created on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform to replace the country's traditional thirteen counties (''amter''). At the same time, smaller municipalities (''kommuner'') were merged into larger units, cutting the number of municipalities from 270 to 98. The most important area of responsibility for the new regions is the national health service. Unlike the former counties, the regions are not allowed to levy taxes, and the health service is primarily financed by a national 8% (''sundhedsbidrag'') tax combined with funds from both government and municipalities. Each Regional Council consists of 41 elected politicians elected as part of the 2005 Danish municipal elections.

Most of the new municipalities have a population of least 20,000 people, although a few exceptions were made to this rule.

The Ertholmene archipelago (95 inhabitants (2007)) is neither part of a municipality, nor a region but belongs to the Ministry of Defence.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also parts of the Kingdom of Denmark, as members of Rigsfællesskabet but have autonomous status and are largely self-governing, and are each represented by two seats in the parliament.

\|- bgcolor="#ececec" \|Country/Region \|\| Population \|\| Area (km²) \|\| Density (Pop per km²) \|- \|Denmark \|\| 5,430,590 \|\| 43,094 \|\| 126 \|- \|''Faroe Islands (Denmark)'' \|\| 47,017 \|\| 1,399 \|\| 34 \|- \|''Greenland (Denmark)'' \|\| 56,916 \|\| 2,175,600 \|\| 0.026

Economy

Denmark's market economy features very efficient agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, very high living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has a comfortable balance of payments surplus and zero net foreign debt. Also of importance is the sea territory of more than 105,000 km² (40,000+ sq mi).

The Danish economy is highly unionised; 75% of its labour force are members of a trade union. Most trade unions take part in the organized system of trade unions, the organization at the highest level being the so-called LO, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions. However, increasing numbers in the labour force choose not to become members of a trade union or to become members of one of the trade unions outside the organized system (often referred to as the yellow, in Danish ''gule'', trade unions).

Relationships between unions and employers are generally cooperative: unions often have a day-to-day role in managing the workplace, and their representatives sit on most companies' board of directors. Rules on work schedules and pay are negotiated between unions and employers, with minimal government involvement. The unemployment rate for July 2007 was 3.3%, for a total of 90,500 persons, a reduction by 97,000 persons - 2,300 per month - or 52% since December 2003. The number of unemployed is forecast to be 65,000 in 2015. The number of people in the working age group, less disability pensioners etc., will grow by 10,000 to 2,860,000, and jobs by 70,000 to 2,790,000. Parttime jobs included.Statistikbanken.dk, tables AB513+ BESK11+12+13. Because of the present high demand and short supply of skilled labour, especially for factory, transport, building and construction jobs, in addition to hospital nurses and physicians, the annual average working hours have risen, especially compared with the economic downturn 1987 – 1993.Increasingly, service workers of all kinds are in demand, i.e. in the postal services and as bus drivers.

0.19 per krone (about 5.2 kroner per dollar). (Exchange rates updated October 2007)

The government has met the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (the common European currency - the Euro) of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EMU), but Denmark, in a September 2000 referendum, rejected The Monetary Union.

In the area of sickness and unemployment, the right to benefit is always dependent on former employment and at times also on membership of an unemployment fund, which is almost always -but need not be- administered by a trade union, and the previous payment of contributions. However, the largest share of the financing is still carried by the central government and is financed from general taxation, and only to a minor degree from earmarked contributions.

The Danish welfare model is accompanied by a taxation system that is both broad based (25% VAT and excise) and with high income tax rates (minimum tax rate for adults is 39.6%).

Denmark is home to many well known multi-national companies, among them: A.P. Moller-Maersk Group (Maersk - international shipping), Lego (children's toys), Bang & Olufsen (hi-fi equipment), Carlsberg (beer), and the pharmaceutical companies Lundbeck and Novo Nordisk.

Demographics

The majority of the population is of Scandinavian descent, with small groups of Inuit from Greenland, Faroese, and immigrants. According to official statistics as of 1 January 2007, 477,700 immigrants and their descendants made up 8.9% of the total population — a large number of whom come from South Asia and the Middle East. People of Danish descent totaled 4,968,436 people.Definitions: Immigrants are persons, born in foreign countries, whose parents were not Danish citizens and additionally were not born in Denmark. Descendants are persons, born in Denmark, whose parents were neither Danish citizens nor born in Denmark. Everybody else is Danish, including children of immigrants who have acquired Danish citizenship. During recent years, anti-immigration sentiment has surfaced in Denmark as is the case also in many other parts of Europe.. Nevertheless, the number of residence permits granted related to labour and to people from within the EU/EEA has increased since implementation of new immigration laws in 2001.http://www.nyidanmark.dk/NR/rdonlyres/01D113D6-EA0D-4DB6-B2F9-DA47A6706EFF/0/tal_og_fakta_2006.pdf

Danish is spoken throughout the country, although a small group near the German border also speak German. English is the most widely spoken foreign language.

As in most countries, the population is not distributed evenly. Although the land area east of the Great Belt only makes up 9,622 km² (3,715 sq mi), 22.7% of Denmark's land area, as of 1 January 2007 it has 45% (2,452,962) of the population. The average population density of this area is 254.9 inhabitants per km² (660.27 per sq mi). The average density in the west of the country (32,772 km²/12,653 sq mi) is 91.36/km² (236.62 per sq mi)(2,994,122 people) (2007).

The median age is 39.8 years with 0.98 males per female. 98.2% of the population is literate (age 15 and up). 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.), which reflects a coming drop in worker to retiree ratio. The annual average population growth is 0.33%.

Population 1 April 2007 was 5,451,826, which equals 128.60 inh./km² land area or 333.07 inh./sq mi. land area (16,368 sq mi). Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik 1 July: 5,457,415. Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik Censuses merely for population numbers are not conducted; they are based on the computerised, day-to-day updated Central Office of Civil Registration.

Education

The Danish education system offers free access to primary school, secondary school and most kinds of higher education (universities etc.). About 99% of the general population attend compulsory elementary school (lasting 9 to 10 years); 86% attend secondary school and 41% pursue further education.

Primary school in Denmark is "''den Danske Folkeskole''" (translated: "the Danish Public School"). It goes from 1st-10th grade (10th grade is optional, as is the introductory ''børnehaveklasse'' ("kindergarten class")). In Denmark one can also go to ''Friskole'' ("free school") or ''Privatskole'' ("private school"): i.e. schools that are not under the administration of the municipalities; e.g. Christian schools or Waldorf Schools.

Following graduation from ''Folkeskolen'', there are several other educational opportunities, including ''Gymnasium'' (academically oriented upper secondary education), Higher Preparatory Examination (HF) (similar to ''Gymnasium'', but one year shorter), Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX) (with focus on Mathematics and engineering), and Higher Commercial Examination Programme (HHX) (with a focus on trade and business), as well as vocational education, training young people for work in specific trades by a combination of teaching and apprenticeship.

''Gymnasium'', HF, HTX and HHX aim at qualifying students for higher education in universities and colleges. Denmark has several universities; the largest and oldest are the University of Copenhagen and University of Aarhus.

''Folkehøjskolerne'', ("Folk high schools") introduced by politician, clergyman and poet N.F.S. Grundtvig in the 19th century, are social, informal education structures without tests or grades but emphasising communal learning, self-discovery, enlightenment, and learning how to think.

Danish food

The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden), as well as that of northern Germany, its neighbour to the south, is heavy, consisting mainly of meat and fish. This stems from the country's agricultural past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.

Traditional Danish food includes frikadeller (fried meatballs, often served with potatoes and various sorts of gravy), karbonader/krebinetter (another sort of fried meatballs), steaks and so on, mostly eaten with potatoes, which is slightly less popular nowadays in Denmark. Fish is also widely eaten, especially on the west coast of Jutland. A traditionally favorite condiment, remoulade, is eaten with french fries, on fried plaice, on salami or roast beef sandwiches. Smoked fish dishes (herring, mackerel, eel) from local smoking houses or ''røgerier'', especially on the island of Bornholm, are increasingly popular.

One of the most interesting aspects of Danish food is the wide variety of attractive open rugbrød (Rye-bread) sandwiches or smørrebrød traditionally served for the mid-day meal or ''frokost''. This usually starts with fish such as marinated herring, smoked eel or hot fried breaded plaice. Then come meat sandwiches such as cold roast beef with remoulade and fried onions, roast pork and crackling with red cabbage, hot veal medallions, Danish meat balls (''frikadeller'') or liver paté with bacon and mushrooms. Some typically Danish items are ''Sol over Gudhjem'', literally 'sun over Gudhjem', consisting of smoked herring, chives and with raw egg yolk (the "sun") on top; or ''Dyrlægens natmad'', 'vet's late-night bite', with liver paté, saltmeat (corned veal), onions and jellied consommé. Finally cheese is served with radishes, nuts or grapes. Lager beer accompanied by small glasses of ''snaps'' or aquavit are the preferred drinks for a Danish frokost.