Welcome Guide - Facts about Denmark

Welcome to Denmark! Before starting the Denmark Welcome Guide, Facts About Denmark , and exploring the rest of FYI Denmark, I wanted to share with you my own perception of Denmark.

You may already know some of the Denmark facts, but hopefully you will find something interesting and helpful.

I have personally lived in Denmark on 3 different occasions, ranging from 9 months to 3 years. I moved back to Denmark in 2008 and hope to stay for a long time. Now, I want to share what I know about Denmark with other expats and visitors in order to help them adjust and cope with the "Culture Shock" or give you more insight before your visit.

Happiest Place to Live

In 2008, Danmark (as it is known in Danish) was voted the "Happiest Place" to live and work. For many years, this small country has ranked in the top 10 for living standards, economic growth and overall quality of life.

Having lived in several other countries, I can totally understand the basis for that statement. Denmark has a lot to offer, but in return you have to give a lot back. Not all Danes agree with the above statement, but then again most Danes have never lived outside of Denmark and take many things they have for granted.

"The pasture is always greener on the other side" (or not).

And many expats don't agree with the statement either, citing the Jantelov, where the Danes are content with less and not having high expectations in life.

In order to keep such a high standard, the taxation system and cost of living is one the highest in the world. You pay close to 40% of your income to the government in order to have "free" access to health care, education and a "safety net" not afforded in most countries. It is trade off that many don't like, but it is a fact of life in Denmark.

Denmark General Facts

Full name of our country is The Kingdom of Denmark

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.

Capitol City København / Copenhagen and is located on the eastern part of Denmark on the island of Sjælland. Right across from the southern tip of Sweden.

Land Area A little over 43000 square kilometers (we are metric here) More about it in the following guide.

National Language Dansk / Danish. (but English is widely spoken especially in the Copenhagen area.)

Below is a link to the Denmark Welcome Guide,which will take you through some pages with more facts about Denmark. The purpose of this litle guide is to give you some basic facts about Denmark and some of my personal insights.

You may also choose to view any of the pages directly by clicking on the links below and skipping the welcome guide tour.

Hopefully some of this information will help you get more out of your stay - be it as a tourist or an expat. Of course, there is nothing as satisfying as having your own experiences and learning first hand how things work. Take the short tour and at any point you can click the go back to Welcome page and browse more of the site.

Start your tour of Facts about Denmark