It’s time to learn everything there is to know about the country at the southernmost part of the nordics, Denmark! Such a beautiful country, no wonder they’re the happiest people in the world! Let’s dive right in and see what this country has to offer
Denmark is attached directly to the continent of Europe, where it’s one of the smaller countries with an area of 43,095 km2 (16,639 sq miles) however the Kingdom of Denmark also includes the Faroe Islands as well as the island of Greenland, bumping the area up to a significant larger size of 2,210,579 km2 (853,509 sq mi).
Denmark is also part of ”Scandinavia” which commonly is the term used for Denmark, Norway and Sweden. While the term ”the nordics” also includes Finland, Iceland and their associated territories such as Greenland, Faroe islands and Åland, yeah try say it yourself, it’s not easy..
Denmark is connected to Europe via its only ”on land” neighbor, Germany. All the other borders are maritime, with Norway and Sweden to the north and United Kingdom on the very far west, all the way across the North Sea. On the opposite side of Denmark, being the east side, We have the Baltic Sea, and in between these we have three passages. Which is called, named from west to east, Skagerakk, Kattegat and ”The Sound”. Or actually it’s called ”Öresund” but my Danish probably isn’t on point here. What do you think? Is my danish decent? Leave a like on the video to give me confidence no matter what!
The population of Denmark is around 5,800,000 which ranks them pretty far down on the list of countries and dependent territories, by population. And we can spot Denmark first at number 115 on this list that consists of 235 countries and territories.
Danish or “Dansk is the official language, and its closest relative is Norwegian which is spoken in Norway. But most educated Danes do speak a second language as well, particularly English. But languages such as Turkish, Arabic and German are also spoken at some scale, as well as a few other minority languages spoken mostly by members of the country’s various ethnic groups.
The official religion of Denmark is Evangelical Lutheran. But the country practices religious freedom, even though an overwhelming majority of Danes, about 85% of them, remained members of the state church called ”folkekirken”. But other than that you’ll find Jewish synagogues, mosques and roman catholic churches around the country.
The flag of Denmark is called ”Dannebrogen” and it’s red with a typical scandinavian white cross that extends all the way to the edges. And the Danes have taken pride in their flag for a very long time. In fact it’s the oldest continuously used national flag in the world, dating back to 15th of June 1219.
History Segment –
So what’s the history of this country? Let’s jump into our history segment and find out!
Since the end of the last Ice Age, people have been migrating from the Eastern and Southern parts of Europe, to the Northern Area. A place which today includes Denmark. The rich soil, closeness to water and terrain has ever since helped shape Danish history and culture.
One of the most notorious periods in Danish history is the age of the Vikings. It began around 793 A.D. with the raid on the English tidal island of Lindisfarne. The Viking Age lasted for about 250 years. And under it, Danish Vikings were quite victorious under their time. In particular one Viking named “Svend Tveskæg” or Sweyn Forkbeard if translated freely,
and his son ”Knud den Store” which translates to something like Canute the Great.
Where once kings of Denmark, Norway, Southern Sweden, Greenland, the Faroe islands, Shetland, Orkney and parts of England. Now that’s a handful to keep track of!
Then came Christianity! In 965 AD the Danish King, Harald Bluetooth,
(yes we know that translation is amazing, and he was way ahead of his time with that name), (actually the logo of bluetooth is a combinations of the runed H and B, his initials)
got baptized, and the Christian religion became a big part of the Danish society. However it didn’t turn the once so brutal Danes, into a people filled with peace and harmony just yet, they continued to fight to maintain and expand their lands a few hundred years more!
Next major part in Danish history came in 1397 with the ”Kalmar Union”. That brought the kingdoms of Norway, Denmark and Sweden together under a single monarch under the leadership of Queen Margrethe I.
This peaceful union lasted until the year 1523 when Sweden decided to break out of it. And this was the starting point of a long rivalry between Sweden and Denmark. In the end Denmark lost the war to Sweden who took over the parts that today is Southern Sweden.
This loss was one that really made Denmark into the country it is today. They introduced hereditary and absolute monarchy in the country, and it helped them form the strong, well-organized state it is today.
In World War 1, Denmark remained neutral and after the war their economy started to evolve. All until April 9, 1940 when the still neutral Denmark was invaded by German troops. Overwhelmed by the German war machine the country got occupied for five years under the Nazis.
But the light returned to the Danish people, on May 5th, 1945 Denmark was free from the German occupation, all thanks to the Grand Alliance, which consisted of the UK, US and the Soviet Union.
Denmark’s economy started to flourish again, and they became more and more internationally involved with increased exports of design goods, furniture, bacon and butter.
Today Denmark is a constitutional monarchy ruled by a representative democracy and a strong defender of free trade and human rights.
Fun Facts –
So now you learned everything you need to know about the history of Denmark, so give ”Countries Explained” some credit on your next essay, will ya! Now let’s go over some of those fun, interesting facts you all have been waiting for, here in our next segment!
- The Danish language has no word for ”please”.
Danish people simply think that helping another person out is something you just do, and therefore you should not have to beg for it. Kinda like that to be honest! - The Word Hygge
Speaking of the Danish language, they do have another pretty remarkable word in there though. It’s called ”Hygge”, and it basically is a word for ”that cosy feeling of togetherness.” - Danish pastry is actually from Austria
Most of us have heard about the Danish pastry called ”wienerbrød” or danishes. however most of us don’t know that these are actually from some Austrian bakers that settled themselves in Denmark in the 1840s. Also, this is why it’s called ”wienerbrød” or ”Viennese bread”. Bread from Vienna. - The two oldest amusement parks in the world are in Denmark.
”Bakken”, which is just outside of Copenhagen, is the oldest in the world, and the second oldest is called ”Tivoli Gardens”. And is based right in the middle of the capital! - LEGO® is from Denmark
We all love it, I don’t even care if you say no, I know you love it. LEGO is amazing period. And it was invented by the Danish guy Ole Kirk Christiansen, in the town of Billund in 1949. - No matter where you’re at in Denmark there is a maximum of 52 km (32 miles) to the ocean.
If you want an ocean view, move to Denmark apparently!
Famous –
So what’s the country really famous for in the world? Well like most scandinavian countries it’s known for their high quality design and architecture. Brands like Bang & Olufsen are a major player in the sound business.
But other than that they also have the iconic red hotdogs called “pölse”. And then there is “Carlsberg”, the world famous beer. Who “probably” has the best slogan in the world.. You see what I did there?
What about celebrities or other famous people? One of the greatest writers, Hans Christian Andersen is from Denmark. And I’m sure you’ve heard about some of his tales, such as ”the little mermaid”, or “the ugly duckling”.
Mads Mikkelsen is another famous person. The actor has been seen in movies such as “Doctor Strange” and ”Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” or what about the the American series ”Hannibal” where he played Dr. Hannibal Lecter himself!
And let’s not forget about the physicist, Niels Bohr who in 1922, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in recognition “for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them”.