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NAVIGATION
Kingdom of Denmark
Kongeriget Danmark
GOVERNMENT
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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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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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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 - NA%; 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 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 People's Party [Jann SJURSEN]; 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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International organization participation:
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AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Ulrik Andreas FEDERSPIEL
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, 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 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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Flag description:
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red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that design element of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden |
ECONOMY
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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 has 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 Monetary Union (EMU), but Denmark has decided not to join the 12 other EU members in the euro; even so, the Danish Krone remains pegged to the euro. Given the sluggish state of the world economy, growth in 2003 likely will be only moderately higher than in 2002. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $155.5 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.8% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $29,000 (2002 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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25 (1992) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.3% (2002 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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5.1% (2002) |
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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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35.792 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 84%
hydro: 0% other: 16% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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33.925 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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7.679 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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8.318 billion kWh (2000) |
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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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$56.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 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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EU 64.7% (Germany 19.6%, Sweden 11.8%, UK 9.5%, France 5.1%, Netherlands 4.5%), US 6.9%, Norway 5.5% (2001) |
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Imports:
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$47.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 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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EU 69.9% (Germany 21.9%, Sweden 12.1%, UK 7.5%, Netherlands 7.1%, France 5.7%, Italy 4.5%), US 4.2% (2001) |
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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 - 8.418 (January 2002), 8.323 (2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997); note - the Danes rejected the euro in a 28 September 2000 referendum |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |