| Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark etymology: the name derives from the words "Dane(s)" and "mark"; the latter referring to a march (borderland) or forest |
| Government type | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October; note - applies to continental Denmark only, not to its North Atlantic components etymology: name derives from the city's Danish appellation Kobenhavn, meaning "Merchant's Harbor" |
| Administrative divisions | metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden (Capital), Midtjylland (Central Jutland), Nordjylland (North Jutland), Sjaelland (Zealand), Syddanmark (Southern Denmark) |
| Independence | ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under HARALD I Gormsson); 5 June 1849 (became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy) |
| National holiday | Constitution Day, 5 June (1849); note - closest equivalent to a national holiday |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest adopted 5 June 1953 amendments: proposed by the Folketing with consent of the government; passage requires approval by the next Folketing following a general election, approval by simple majority vote of at least 40% of voters in a referendum, and assent of the chief of state; changed several times, last in 2009 (Danish Act of Succession) |
| Legal system | civil law; judicial review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Denmark dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK (elder son of the monarch, born on 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Mette FREDERIKSEN (since 27 June 2019) cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral People's Assembly or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 each representing Greenland and the Faroe Islands; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms unless the Folketing is dissolved earlier) elections: last held on 5 June 2019 (next to be held on June 2023) election results: percent of vote by party - SDP 25.9%, V 23.4%, DF 8.7%, SLP 8.6%, SF 7.7%, EL 6.9%, C 6.6%, A 3.0%, NB 2.4%, LA 2.3%; seats by party - SDP 48, V 43, DF 16, SLP 16, SF 14, EL 13, C 12, A 5, NB 4, LA 4; composition - men 109, women 70 (includes 2 from Greenland), percent of women 39.1% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 18 judges) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the monarch upon the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, with the advice of the Judicial Appointments Council, a 6-member independent body of judges and lawyers; judges appointed for life with retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Special Court of Indictment and Revision; 2 High Courts; Maritime and Commercial Court; county courts |
| Political parties and leaders | The Alternative A or AP (Franciska ROSENKILDE) Conservative People's Party or DKF or C [Soren PAPE POULSEN] Danish People's Party or DF or O [Kristian THULESEN DAHL] Liberal Alliance or LA [Alex VANOPSLAGH] Liberal Party (Venstre) or V [Jakob ELLEMANN-JENSEN] New Right Party or D or NB [Pernille VERMUND] Red-Green Alliance (Unity List) or EL [collective leadership, Mai VILLADSEN, spokesperson] Social Democrats or A or SDP [Mette FREDERIKSEN] Social Liberal Party or B or SLP [Sofie CARSTEN NIELSEN] Socialist People's Party or SF [Pia OLSEN DYHR] |
| International organization participation | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Lone Dencker WISBORG (since 8 April 2019) chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 email address and website: wasamb@um.dk https://usa.um.dk/en consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, Silicon Valley (CA) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Stuart A. DWYER (since 20 January 2021) embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Kobenhavn 0 mailing address: 5280 Copenhagen Place, Washington DC 20521-5280 telephone: [45] 33-41-71-00 FAX: [45] 35-43-02-23 email address and website: CopenhagenACS@state.gov https://dk.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | 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; the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag) and is one of the oldest national flags in the world; traditions as to the origin of the flag design vary, but the best known is a legend that the banner fell from the sky during an early-13th century battle; caught up by the Danish king before it ever touched the earth, this heavenly talisman inspired the royal army to victory; in actuality, the flag may derive from a crusade banner or ensign note: the shifted cross design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as by the Faroe Islands |
| National symbol(s) | lion, mute swan; national colors: red, white |
| National anthem | name: "Der er et yndigt land" (There is a Lovely Country); "Kong Christian" (King Christian) lyrics/music: Adam Gottlob OEHLENSCHLAGER/Hans Ernst KROYER; Johannes EWALD/unknown note: Denmark has two national anthems with equal status; "Der er et yndigt land," adopted 1844, is a national anthem, while "Kong Christian," adopted 1780, serves as both a national and royal anthem; "Kong Christian" is also known as "Kong Christian stod ved hojen mast" (King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast) and "Kongesangen" (The King's Anthem); within Denmark, the royal anthem is played only when royalty is present and is usually followed by the national anthem; when royalty is not present, only the national anthem is performed; outside Denmark, the royal anthem is played, unless the national anthem is requested |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
