Denmark is not just another small country in Europe. Aside from it's limited space, Denmark has a unique culture, strange traditions, great educational and government systems, and a flavorful variety of food. Denmark is an awesome and very interesting country .

Life in Denmark is easy going, and is a lot like life in the U.S. Danes like to be modern and casual. They like things like we do, like going to the movies and the mall. Even though they like doing these modern-time things, Danes still hold on to old traditions. Their culture gives all people respect, for an example. Most families in Denmark tend to be small, with one or two children. And did you know Danish children live with their families until their mid-twenties?

Another tradition Danes hold on to is food. Their most popular food, smorrebrod, or open-faced sandwich, can be good for two meals a day. Another popular dish is fish. Danes like to eat smoked or cured fish, such as herring, mackeral, cod, salmon, and even eel. Danes have four meals a day: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Late Supper. They usually have cereal, eggs, coffee, rolls, and things like that for breakfast. For lunch, smorrebrod is usually served. Dinner is… well, dinner is dinner. They can eat anything for dinner.
When they're not eating, Danes like to have fun. Danes have many recreational activities. Biking is a big thing in Denmark, thanks to it's flat land. Sports are another common pastime, the most popular of them "Fodbold", or soccer. Other sports include handball, swimming, horseback riding, canoeing and others still. Danes love to read. Each year, over 84,000,0000 books are checked out of Denmark's libraries! Another relaxing activity is chess.

Other fun things in Denmark are holidays. Danes have got many holiday traditions. Among one is January 5, when they light their Christmas trees for the last time on a holiday called The Eve of the 12th Night. They sure put their trees away earlier than we do! Danes also have many other holidays that we don't have. One of them is Constitution day, on June 5, which is like the 4th of July. There are also Mardi-Gras type holidays in February called Fastelavn. Another interesting fact: Queen Margerthe's birthday on April 16 is considered a school holiday, so everybody gets a day off!

While Danish children aren't having holidays, they're at school, just like us. All Danish children must go to school between the ages 7-16. That sure is shorter than us! Public schools are free, which most children go to. Other kids go to private schools, which are usually funded by the government. Danes call their elementary and middle schools "folkeskole"(pronounced FULL-guh-skool). High school is called "gymnasium". (Pronounced just the same as we would say it.) Even though most Danes go further (53% of them), education beyond grade nine is optional. Cool, huh?

Government is another important aspect in Danish life. Denmark holds a constitutional monarchy. The government is made up of judicial, legislative and executive branches. The power to make the laws for the country is distributed over the Folketing, which is like our Representative House and Senate are, and the monarch. The new form of government, the constitutional monarchy, was adopted in 1849 and revised in 1953. The current monarch, Queen Margerthe II, is the first queen since Queen Margerthe I, which ruled in 1397-1412. And an interesting fact: Did you know all Danish kings during the years 1513 and 1972 were all named either Christian or Frederik?

Denmark is divided up into fourteen counties, which do not include Greenland or the Faroe Islands. The fourteen counties are: Frederiksborg, Kobenhavn, Roskilde, Vestsjoelland, Storstrom, Fyn, Sonderjylland, Nordjylland, Ribe, Vejle, Arhus, Ringkobing, Viborg, and Bornholm. Each county is governed by a council that is re-elected every four years, kind of like how we elect our city councils (but not quite).
The fourteen counties of Denmark enjoy a temperate climate. Denmark is almost completely surrounded by water, the only land border being with Germany. Ten percent of the country is covered in forests, which gently dot the countryside. There are no mountains in Denmark. There are hills in the middle of Jutland, but the highest point, called Yding Skovhoj, is only a mere 568 feet in height.

Denmark's environment, however, has lived through many wars and hardships. In 1534, a vicious civil war broke out, which Prince Christian ( later called King Christian III) won in 1536. In the years 1543 all the way until 1720, Denmark suffered vicious and bloody wars and battles against Sweden over political control over the Baltic Sea, which both countries border. Following a few years of peace, Denmark sided with France and Russia during the Napoleonic Wars in 1807. After remaining allied with France until 1814, Denmark gave up Norway, but still ruled over the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. During one of the most memorable wars, World War II, Denmark was invaded by Nazi forces on April 9, 1940. Denmark continued to be under Nazi control until Allied forces eventually liberated the country on May 5, 1945.

Putting aside all these troubles, Denmark's economy has flourished. During the years of peace between 1720 and 1807, Denmark grew to have one of the biggest fleets of trading ships in the world. Nowadays, though, Denmark is based mainly on manufacturing, service industries, and trade with other nations. Seventy-nine percent of the population is employed in the services sector, which includes education and health.(Trapp, 18) Other jobs include manufacturing, the main products being constructing, food-processing, machinery, clothing, and textiles.

Overall, Denmark is a great country. Its people have survived several hardships, such as war, changing of government, and even (after World War I) poverty. Denmark is a great travel destination, if one goes to Europe, and will definitely leave a lasting impression.

Works Cited
Kingdom of Denmark. Culturegram '99. Brigham Young University. Lindon, Utah, 1998.
Oakley, Stewart. "Denmark". Encyclopedia Americana. 1995, Grolier Incorporated.
Trapp, Clayton. Countries of the World: Denmark. Malaysia: Times Media Private Limited, 2002.