Careers, Jobs and Education Resources for: Denmark

Economic Overview

The danish economy has in recent years undergone strong expansion fueled primarily by private consumption growth, but also supported by exports and investments. this thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. unemployment is low and capacity constraints are limiting growth potential. denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. the government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common european currency) of the european economic and monetary union (emu), but so far denmark has decided not to join 15 other eu members in the euro. nonetheless, the danish krone remains pegged to the euro. economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn continued through 2007. the controversy over caricatures of the prophet muhammad printed in a danish newspaper in september 2005 led to boycotts of some danish exports to the muslim world, especially exports of dairy products, but the boycotts did not have a significant impact on the overall danish economy. because of high gdp per capita, welfare benefits, a low gini index, and political stability, the danish living standards are among the highest in the world. a major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees.

Environmental Issues

Air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the north sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides

Government Type

Constitutional monarchy

Population

5,484,723 (july 2008 est.)

Location

Northern europe, bordering the baltic sea and the north sea, on a peninsula north of germany (jutland); also includes two major islands (sjaelland and fyn)

Area

Total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of bornholm in the baltic sea and the rest of metropolitan denmark (the jutland peninsula, and the major islands of sjaelland and fyn), but excludes the faroe islands and greenland

Slightly less than twice the size of massachusetts

Country Aliases

Conventional long form: kingdom of denmark conventional short form: denmark local long form: kongeriget danmark local short form: danmark

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 the north atlantic components

Military Service

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004)

International Disputes

Iceland, the uk, and ireland dispute denmark's claim that the faroe islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; faroese continue to study proposals for full independence; sovereignty dispute with canada over hans island in the kennedy channel between ellesmere island and greenland