Scandinavia and northern Europe are home to the kingdom of Denmark. The North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea circle the kingdom. About 16,634 square miles (43,095 square kilometers) make up the country. It has more than 400 islands, and about 80 of them are populated. Nordic countries with the most people live in Jutland, Zealand, and Funen (Fyn). The landscape is mostly flat, with only a few places that are very high up. Copenhagen, the biggest city, has been the capital and largest city since the 1600s. The Kingdom of Denmark has a modern economy and a government that is very stable. There is home rule in the Kingdom of Denmark for both Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Besides the UN, NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, and the OSCE, Denmark is a founding member of all of these organizations. Denmark has close relations to its fellow Scandinavian countries, Sweden and Norway, as well as to its Nordic neighbors, Finland and Iceland. The official language, Danish, can be understood by speakers of Swedish and Norwegian. Although the Danish krone is tied to the euro under the ERM II regime, Denmark is an EU member state that has chosen not to participate in the Eurozone. Additionally, Denmark is a member of the Schengen Area. Denmark has the lowest perceived level of corruption of any country in the world, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Denmark tops the index with a score of 88, one point higher than New Zealand in second place. Denmark is the second least corrupt country in the world, scoring three points more than the neighboring Scandinavian country of Finland.
Just 20 minutes by train from Copenhagen's main station is Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park. Our capital city's second-oldest amusement park, Tivoli Gardens, is conveniently located close to the same station. Copenhagen, which is the capital of Denmark, is known for having bicycle-friendly streets and people. About 62% of people in Copenhagen ride bicycles to work, college, or school, and every day people ride their bicycles 1.2 million kilometers through the city.
Cycling is an easy way for people to get around Copenhagen because it has flat land, well-designed cycling routes, and lots of people living close to cities. Cycling is also a better way to get around because it is healthier, cheaper, and better for the earth. Billund, Denmark is home to the Lego Group, which makes more toys than any other company in the world.
Lego is a brand of plastic building toys that includes minifigures, gears, and bright plastic bricks that fit together. Lego toys are very popular all over the world.
With a population of 130 million people, Denmark is one of the smallest countries in the world. Ranch mink is Denmark's main export and production animal in the world. All of that mink fur is pretty thick. The longest shopping street in the world without cars is in Downtown Copenhagen. It's called Stroget. It is known for shopping for food and having fun. For many hundreds of years, the Danes have lived off of the land. They have a history of farming and fishing. Denmark was one of the first countries to make and sell wind turbines. Denmark really likes green energy, and 41% of their energy comes from the wind. They make twice as much per person as the next runner-up. Traffic lights in Denmark are all about bikes. The bikes in Denmark are so crazy that the country has special traffic lights for them. Danes send more food abroad than any other country in the world.
The economy of Denmark is the ninth most free in the 2023 Index, with a score of 77.6. It got 0.4 points less than it did last year. Denmark is ranked sixth in Europe out of 44 countries, and its total score is still well above the averages for the world and Europe. The highest tax rates for individuals are 56% and for businesses they are 22%. The amount of tax paid is 46.5 percent of GDP. For everyone in Denmark, health care and school are free. 330,000 people live in Aarhus, which is the second biggest city. Just over 200,000 people live in Odense, which is the third largest city in Denmark.
The 179 members of the Danish Parliament are chosen by a system called proportional representation. It gets together every four years. The Social Democrats and the Liberal Party work together to make up the present government. Denmark has always been a neutral country. They don't even side with either side in World War I. Denmark helped to start NATO in 1949. Denmark let women vote for the first time in 1915. In the US, women couldn't vote until 4 years later. According to a story. The story says that Denmark means "flat land." "Land of the Danes" is what some people say it means. Gudenaen is the biggest river in Denmark, at 98 miles (158 km) long. Denmark has won 14 Nobel Prizes.
The fields of health, physiology, and literature have all given these awards. Denmark was made by Vikings in the eighth century AD. In 958 AD, it turned into a country. There are 5.8 million people living in the country. It is home to almost 10 million people, making it the second most populous country in Scandinavia. It takes up half as much space as Scotland does. Danes love football more than any other sport.