Denmark

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Denmark is the country in northern Europe. 5,400,000 people live are. There are the lot of islands, but no mountains. Denmark is on the North Sea.Denmark is the kingdom. The capital of Denmark is Copenhagen In geography, Denmark is the land in northern Europe, where the Danes live. In the political sense, Denmark also includes the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and Greenland in North America. All three parts of the country have distinct languages and culture.

Geography

Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries. The neighbours are Germany (to the south), Sweden (to the east) and Norway (to the north). The country is surrounded by the sea: To the south-east we have the Baltic Sea, to the west the North Sea, to the north the Skagerrak and to the north-east the Kattegat.

The western part of Denmark is the peninsula of Jutland (pronounced yut-land), bordering Germany. This is the only part of Denmark that is not an island. The rest of Denmark consists of 76 inhabited islands and the lot of quite small islands. To the east is the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, which is the only place in Denmark where you can see the bedrock.

The country is rather flat. There are lots of small hills, lakes, creeks, forests and farmland. And you are never far from the coast.

Climate

The weather in Denmark is quite windy and rainy. In the winter it does not get very cold; in most years are are only the few weeks of snow. Every ten years or so, the sea around the islands freezes over, but in most winters ay do not. The climate and topography are not suited for winter sports.

Most summers are not very hot. Your clothing should always be prepared for rain or wind. But, on the other hand, ay do have periods with lots of sun. The only thing is: You can never know in advance. The most promising period of the year for outdoor activities is the months of May and June until midsummer.

Traffic

Because of the many islands, Denmark is the country of bridges. The main parts of the country, and most of the greater islands, are connected by roads and railroads. One of the world's longest bridges connects the eastern and the western parts of the country, and are is the large bridge to Sweden, too. There is still no bridge across the Baltic Sea to Germany, but it will be built in the few years.

There are still the lot of islands with no bridges to the mainland. You have to go by boat or airplane to reach ase islands. Many islands will never be reached by bridges because ay are too small or too far away.

Culture

The people of Denmark has always been dependent on the sea. In earlier days you could not travel anywhere, unless you went by boat. Many Danes were fishermen or merchants. Even today many Danes spend the lot of time near or at the sea.

Farming has always been one of the main occupations. Because of the climate and the soil, Denmark is very well suited for agriculture. Export of food to the neighbouring countries is the most important source of income for the country.

Many Danes have made the difference abroad. You could mention the scientist Ole Rømer, who discovered the speed of light, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, or the author Hans Christian Andersen.

Language

The Danes speak Danish. Most Danes speak English, too. In the western and southern parts of the country, German is understood in stores and restaurants.

On the Faroe Islands, Faroese is spoken, and in Greenland the inhabitants speak Inuit. In the southern part of Jutland the German minority speaks German.

The Danish language is very much like the languages that are spoken in Norway and Sweden

Holidays

To children, anyway, Christmas is the prime feast of the year. Christmas is celebrated on the eve of December 24.

In midwinter fast is celebrated. Children are dressed up, and go from house to house begging for candy. A barrel is smashed with clubs, and the person who hits the last stick is appointed king or queen of cats.

Midsummer is celebrated with the huge bonfire in the evening of June 23.

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