Denmark General Information

Below are some basic Denmark general information. I could list lots of stats and figures, but if you want them, look to the Danish government. They have stacks of that stuff.

Full name of our country is The Kingdom of Denmark or the Kongeriget Danmark. Denmark, which is translated to mean "borderlands of the Danes" is derived from a political unit during the 6th to 9th century. This is the time when Denmark began to take on its own sovereignty.

Population 5.6 million and growing alot now that we have open borders with the EU. Over 1 million people live in the greater Copenhagen area, while the other major populated cities are Arhus, Aalborg, Odense, Esbjerg, Vejle, Randers, Viborg, Kolding and Silkeborg. All located in Jutland except Odense.

Immigration from Europe accounts for much of the population growth, since the difference between Danish birth and death rates are fairly low.

Capitol City is København or Copenhagen and is located on the eastern part of Denmark on the island of Sjælland. Right across from the southern tip of Sweden. It is also the largest city in Denmark.

Land Area A little over 43095 square kilometers (we are metric here. For those non-metric people, that is 16,634 square miles.

National Organization Member of United Nations, European Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization , Schengen, International Money Fund, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe , Organization for Economic Development , World Trade Organization (UN, EU, NATO, IMF, OSCE, OEC, WTO)

Telephone If you are placing a call to Denmark you will need to use the prefix 0045. When in Denmark you just need to dial the 8-digit number, since Denmark does not have any area codes.

Important Denmark General Information Tip: Avoid international phone costs and get a FREE Skype account and communicate by video chat for FREE. It is cheaper and lots more personal.

Time Zone GMT +1

Internet Code is .dk (which can be helpful if looking for specific danish sites

And here is some more Denmark General information that you probably did not know. Really! ... the story behind the mute swan is quite interesting. Take a minute to read about it and impress your friends at your next dinner party with this bit of trivia.

The National Bird of Denmark is the Mute Swan(Cygnus olor) or Knopsvane, made famous in the story by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Ugly Duckling".

Geography: Denmark is located north of Germany (has a 68 kilometer shared border), west of Sweden (divided by the Øresund and Baltic Sea) and south of Norway (divided by the Skagerrak) and east of Great Britain (divided by the North Sea). See our interactive map and  or check out the weather in Denmark.

Danish Government: When discussing the Danish government, you have to include the monarchy headed by Queen Margrethe, the government headed by Helen Thorning-Schmidt and the Folketing (the governning body). The Danish government is a constitutional monarchy.

Danish Currency: Many people think that the Danish currency / Danish money is the Euro, but that is not the case. At present it is the Danish krone, but that may change to the Euro someday. Learn more about the denmark general information exchange rate, the Danish currency and the Danish krone.

National Anthem: The Danish National Anthem is known as Faedrelandssang – Fathers Land Song. Most non-Danes do not know the tune or words. Now you can learn them both.

More Denmark general information 

Danish Flag: The Danish Flag is called the Dannebrog (meaning "red cloth" or "Danish red cloth") and dates back to the year 1219. The flag of Denmark is one of the few flags in the world which has a name. There is also a very interesting story about how the Danish Flag came about. Fact or fiction? You can decide for yourself when you read about the Dannebrog.

Danish Language: The Danish language is Danish, or Dansk, which belongs to the Germanic family of languages within the Indo-European languages.

You should learn the Danish language (at least a little) if you plan to live here. If you can speak a little Danish, it is appreciated; however, English and German is also widely spoken.

Denmark General Information Fun Moment - See why Danish is so funny, watch the video on the Danish language page.

Religion: Most Danes are members of the Folkekirke, which is the state run church. The official religion is known as Evangelical Lutheran. Even though the church membership is very large, the majority of Danes do not attend church on a regular basis.

Danish Culture: The Danish culture is based on "Jante Law". It's a concept created by Norwegian/Danish author Axel Sandemose in his 1933 novel, "A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks". It states that everyone is equal, no one is special and everyone should be treated as such.

Living Expenses: Many people request Denmark general information on the cost of living in Denmark, so have included a brief overview. The cost of living will vary greatly depending on where you live. You can expect to have the highest costs in Copenhagen and the much lower cost in Jutland. Of course the farther the way from the major cities you live, the lower the cost of housing and other things.

You will be paying higher income taxes (approx. 38%), yet your income is also higher and your taxes cover things like medical insurance. Basically, your medical needs are all free except medicine and dental.

 You can expect to use 20% of income on housing, 20% on food and drink, 15% on transportation, childcare can consume another 15% and about 10% on services like electricity, water, telephone, heating. The rest is for clothing, entertainment and other expenses.

Social Life: Social life outside of work place is pretty much nonexistent as compared to the American or UK way of life. Danes do not socialize with their coworkers outside of the workplace unless it is an organized event set up by the company. Going out for drinks or bowling is very uncommon. Meeting Danes is best done via sport associations or expat meetups. Danes prefer to social with family and life long friends.

For most people, it is a bit of a culture shock coming to Denmark. Read more about the Danish culture including some humorous insights from other expats.

You will find plenty of other valuable expat information on FYI Denmark, including denmark general information for expats on finding work, housing, education, and much, much more.

If you are ready to get started as an expat in Denmark, start with the getting started guide.

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