European Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, lying southwest of Sweden, south of Norway, and north of Germany.
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Denmark's geography is characterised by flat, arable land, sandy coasts, low elevation, and a temperate climate.
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The remaining Kingdom of Denmark–Norway endured a series of wars in the 17th century that resulted in further territorial cessions to the Swedish Empire.
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An industrialised exporter of agricultural produce in the second half of the 19th century, Denmark introduced social and labour-market reforms in the early 20th century, which formed the basis for the present welfare state model and advanced mixed economy.
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Denmark remained neutral during World War I but regained the northern half of Schleswig in 1920.
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Denmark is a highly developed country with a high standard of living: the country performs at or near the top in measures of education, health care, civil liberties, democratic governance and LGBT equality.
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Denmark is a founding member of NATO, the Nordic Council, the OECD, OSCE, and the United Nations; it is part of the Schengen Area.
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Denmark maintains close political, cultural, and linguistic ties with its Scandinavian neighbours, with the Danish language being partially mutually intelligible with both Norwegian and Swedish.
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Denmark has been inhabited since around 12, 500 BC and agriculture has been evident since 3900 BC.
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The Nordic Bronze Age in Denmark was marked by burial mounds, which left an abundance of findings including lurs and the Sun Chariot.
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Denmark'storians believe that before their arrival, most of Jutland and the nearest islands were settled by tribal Jutes.
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Denmark was largely consolidated by the late 8th century and its rulers are consistently referred to in Frankish sources as kings.
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Denmark tried but failed to regain control of Scania in the Scanian War.
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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.
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Denmark kept the possessions of Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, all of which had been governed by Norway for centuries.
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Nascent Danish liberal and national movement gained momentum in the 1830s; after the European Revolutions of 1848, Denmark peacefully became a constitutional monarchy on 5 June 1849.
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Denmark faced war against both Prussia and Austrian Empire in what became known as the Second Schleswig War, lasting from February to October 1864.
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Denmark maintained its neutral stance during World War I After the defeat of Germany, the Versailles powers offered to return the region of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark.
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On 10 July 1920, Northern Schleswig was recovered by Denmark, thereby adding some 163, 600 inhabitants and 3, 984 square kilometres.
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In 1939 Denmark signed a 10-year non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany but Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940 and the Danish government quickly surrendered.
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Denmark was a founding member of European Free Trade Association.
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In 1973, along with Britain and Ireland, Denmark joined the European Economic Community after a public referendum.
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Kingdom of Denmark includes two overseas territories, both well to the west of Denmark: Greenland, the world's largest island, and the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.
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Denmark has an average of 179 days per year with precipitation, on average receiving a total of 765 millimetres per year; autumn is the wettest season and spring the driest.
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Denmark belongs to the Boreal Kingdom and can be subdivided into two ecoregions: the Atlantic mixed forests and Baltic mixed forests.
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Denmark holds a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 0.
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Denmark is home to smaller mammals, such as polecats, hares and hedgehogs.
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Denmark stopped issuing new licences for oil and gas extraction in December 2020.
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The country has historically taken a progressive stance on environmental preservation; in 1971 Denmark established a Ministry of Environment and was the first country in the world to implement an environmental law in 1973.
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Politics in Denmark operate under a framework laid out in the Constitution of Denmark.
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Government of Denmark operates as a cabinet government, where executive authority is exercised—formally, on behalf of the monarch—by the prime minister and other cabinet ministers, who head ministries.
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Denmark's was succeeded by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the leader of the Liberal Party.
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Judicial system of Denmark is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration.
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Kingdom of Denmark is a unitary state that comprises, in addition to Denmark proper, two autonomous territories in the North Atlantic Ocean: Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
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The provinces of Denmark are statistical divisions of Denmark, positioned between the administrative regions and municipalities.
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The foreign policy of Denmark is substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union; Denmark including Greenland joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the EU's predecessor, in 1973.
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Denmark held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on seven occasions, most recently from January to June 2012.
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Denmark is a long-time supporter of international peacekeeping, but since the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and the War in Afghanistan in 2001, Denmark has found a new role as a warring nation, participating actively in several wars and invasions.
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Denmark strongly supported American operations in Afghanistan and has contributed both monetarily and materially to the ISAF.
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Denmark has a developed mixed economy that is classed as a high-income economy by the World Bank.
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Denmark's economy stands out as one of the most free in the Index of Economic Freedom and the Economic Freedom of the World.
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Denmark has the fourth highest ratio of tertiary degree holders in the world.
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Once a predominantly agricultural country on account of its arable landscape, since 1945 Denmark has greatly expanded its industrial base and service sector.
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Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and has for a number of years had a balance of payments surplus which has transformed the country from a net debitor to a net creditor country.
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Today, Denmark is part of the European Union's internal market, which represents more than 508 million consumers.
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Denmark has the 2nd lowest relative poverty rate in the OECD, below the 11.
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Denmark has a long tradition of scientific and technological invention and engagement, and has been involved internationally from the very start of the scientific revolution.
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Denmark was ranked 9th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, down from 6th in 2020 and from 7th in 2019.
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Denmark has considerably large deposits of oil and natural gas in the North Sea and ranks as number 32 in the world among net exporters of crude oil and was producing 259, 980 barrels of crude oil a day in 2009.
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Denmark is a long-time leader in wind power: In 2015 wind turbines provided 42.
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Denmark is connected by electric transmission lines to other European countries.
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Denmark now aims to focus on intelligent battery systems and plug-in vehicles in the transport sector.
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Cycling in Denmark is a very common form of transport, particularly for the young and for city dwellers.
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However, this has had little effect, and in 2008 Denmark experienced an increase in the import of fuel inefficient old cars, as the cost for older cars—including taxes—keeps them within the budget of many Danes.
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Denmark has one of the oldest populations in the world, with the average age of 41.
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However, as with its Scandinavian neighbours, Denmark has recently transformed from a nation of net emigration, up until World War II, to a nation of net immigration.
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All educational programmes in Denmark are regulated by the Ministry of Education and administered by local municipalities.
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All university and college education in Denmark is free of charges; there are no tuition fees to enrol in courses.
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The National Institute of Public Health of the University of Southern Denmark has calculated 19 major risk factors among Danes that contribute to a lowering of the life expectancy; this includes smoking, alcohol, drug abuse and physical inactivity.
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Denmark has a universal health care system, characterised by being publicly financed through taxes and, for most of the services, run directly by the regional authorities.
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Denmark is the only country to officially use the word 'ghetto' in the 21st century to denote certain residential areas.
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Denmark has been considered a progressive country, which has adopted legislation and policies to support women's rights, minority rights, and LGBT rights.
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Human rights in Denmark are protected by the state's Constitution of the Realm; applying equally in Denmark proper, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and through the ratification of international human rights treaties.
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Denmark has held a significant role in the adoption of both the European Convention on Human Rights and in the establishment of the European Court of Human Rights.
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Denmark has been greatly criticised by the Greenlandic community for the politics of Danization of and discrimination against the indigenous population of the country.
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Nevertheless, Denmark ratified, in 1996, to recognise the ILO-convention 169 on indigenous people recommended by the UN.
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In regard to LGBT rights, Denmark was the first country in the world to grant legal recognition to same-sex unions in the form of registered partnerships in 1989.
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In doing so, Denmark became the first country in Europe to go against the World Health Organisation standards, which classified transgender identity as being a mental health issue until June 2018.
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Roskilde Festival near Copenhagen is the largest music festival in Northern Europe since 1971 and Denmark has many recurring music festivals of all genres throughout, including Aarhus International Jazz Festival, Skanderborg Festival, The Blue Festival in Aalborg, Esbjerg International Chamber Music Festival and Skagen Festival among many others.
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Denmark has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1957 and has won the contest three times, in 1963, 2000 and 2013.
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Denmark's architecture became firmly established in the Middle Ages when first Romanesque, then Gothic churches and cathedrals sprang up throughout the country.
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Denmark is known for its Carlsberg and Tuborg beers and for its akvavit and bitters.
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Since around 1970, chefs and restaurants across Denmark have introduced gourmet cooking, largely influenced by French cuisine.
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In recent years, Denmark has made a mark as a strong cycling nation, with Michael Rasmussen reaching King of the Mountains status in the Tour de France in 2005 and 2006.
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