Because of You…
The youth of Denmark are being reached through worship events, training Danish Christian Artists; short-term mission teams, Interdenominational Teenage & Youth Leaders Conference, evangelistic events for 11-14 yrs.; by taking international bands and national speakers into schools and high schools with the Gospel and much more.
Prayer Needs
- Open doors for ministry
- Continued attendance and growth of the Mannafest, RockSolid clubs and youth leaders trained
- Impacting 20,000 more young people through schools work and networking with churches, facilitating doing follow-up
- Increase in partnership with churches
About Denmark
Denmark
Introduction
Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.
Geography
Location
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)
Geographic Coordinates: 56 00 N, 10 00 E
Area
Total Area: 43,094 sq km Rank: 133
Land Area: 42,434 sq km
Water Area: 660 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
Comparison: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Land Boundaries: 68 km
Bordering Countries: Germany 68 km
Coastline: 7,314 km
Climate
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain
low and flat to gently rolling plains
Elevations
Lowest Point: Lammefjord -7 m
Highest Point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m
Natural Resources
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand
Land Use
Arable land: 52.59%
Permanent Crops: 0.19%
Other: 47.22% (2005)
Irrigated Land: 4,490 sq km (2003)
Renewable Water Resources: 6.1 cu km (2003)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 0.67 cu km/yr (32%/26%/42%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 123 cu m/yr (2002)
Environment
Natural Hazards: flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes
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
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Geography Notes
controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen
People
Population: 5,500,510 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 109
Age Structure
0-14 years: 18.1% (male 511,882/female 485,782)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,817,800/female 1,798,964)
65 years and over: 16.1% (male 387,142/female 498,940) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 39.8 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 0.28% (2010 est.) Rank: 175
Birth Rate: 10.54 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 184
Death Rate: 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 57
Net Migration Rate: 2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 32
Urbanization
Urban Population: 87% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 203
Life Expectancy at Birth: 78.3 years Rank: 45
Fertility Rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 166
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: 0.2% (2007 est.) Rank: 106
People living with HIV/AIDS: 4,800 (2007 est.) Rank: 124
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2003 est.) Rank: 130
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Dane(s)
Adjective: Danish
Ethnic Groups: Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali
Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2%
Languages: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority)
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 99% Male: 99% Female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): 17 years Male: 16 years Female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures: 8.3% of GDP (2005) Rank: 12
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: Kingdom of Denmark
Conventional Short Form: Denmark
Local Long Form: Kongeriget Danmark
Local Short Form: Danmark
Government Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Copenhagen Geographic Coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E
Administrative Divisions
metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden, Midtjylland, Nordjylland, Sjaelland, Syddanmark
Note: an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities into 98 and 13 counties into five regions, effective 1 January 2007
Independence: ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under HARALD I Gormson); 5 June 1849 (becomes a constitutional monarchy)
National holiday: none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day
Constitution: 5 June 1953; note - constitution allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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 Lars Loekke RASMUSSEN (since 5 April 2009)
Cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch
Elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the monarch
Legislative Branch
unicameral People's Assembly or Folketing (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms unless the Folketing is dissolved earlier)
Elections: last held on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election Results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 26.2%, Social Democrats 25.5%, Danish People's Party 13.9%, Socialist People's Party 13.0%, Conservative People's Party 10.4%, Social Liberal Party 5.1%, New Alliance 2.8%, Red-Green Unity List 2.2%, other 0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 46, Social Democrats 45, Danish People's Party 25, Socialist People's Party 23, Conservative People's Party 18, Social Liberal Party 9, New Alliance 5, Red-Green Alliance 4; note - does not include the two seats from Greenland and the two seats from the Faroe Islands
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed for life by the monarch)
Politics
Political Parties and Leaders: Christian Democrats [Bjarne Hartung KIRKEGAARD] (was Christian People's Party); Conservative Party [Lene ESPERSEN] (sometimes known as Conservative People's Party); Danish People's Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Alliance [Anders SAMUELSEN] (formerly known as New Alliance); Liberal Party [Lars Loekke RASMUSSEN]; Red-Green Unity List (Alliance) [collective leadership] (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party); Social Democratic Party [Helle THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party [Margrethe VESTAGER]; Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Confederation of Danish Employers or DA [President Joergen VORSHOLT]; Principal DA member organizations: Confederation of Danish Industries [President Hans Skov CHRISTENSEN]; Confederation of Danish Labor Unions [ President Harald BORSTING]; Danish Bankers Association [CEO Joergen HORWITZ]; DaneAge Association [President Bjarne HASTRUP]; Danish Society for Nature Conservation [President Ella Maria BISSCHOP-LARSEN]
Other: humanitarian relief; development assistance; human rights NGOs
International Organization Participation: ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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
Note: the shifted design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
Economy
Economy Overview: This thoroughly modern market economy features a high-tech agricultural sector, state-of-the-art industry with world-leading firms in pharmaceuticals, maritime shipping and renewable energy, and a high dependence on foreign trade. The Danish economy is also characterized by extensive government welfare measures, an equitable distribution of income, and comfortable living standards. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. After a long consumption-driven upswing, Denmark's economy began slowing in early 2007 with the end of a housing boom. The global financial crisis has exacerbated this cyclical slowdown through increased borrowing costs and lower export demand, consumer confidence, and investment. The global financial crises cut Danish GDP by 0.9% in 2008 and 4.3% in 2009. Historically low levels of unemployment have risen sharply with the recession. Denmark is likely to make a slow and modest recovery, though unemployment is likely to rise through 2010. An impending decline in the ratio of workers to retirees will be a major long-term issue. Denmark maintained a healthy budget surplus for many years up to 2008, but the budget balance swung into deficit during 2009. Nonetheless, Denmark's fiscal position remains among the strongest in the EU. Despite previously meeting the criteria to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), so far Denmark has decided not to join, although the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $197.8 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 52
GDP - real growth rate: -4.7% (2009 est.) Rank: 181
GDP - per capita (PPP): $36,000 (2009 est.) Rank: 31
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 1.2% Industry: 23.8% Services: 74.9% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 2.84 million (2009 est.) Rank: 106
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 2.5% Industry: 20.2% Services: 77.3% (2005 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (2009 est.) Rank: 38
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 12.1% (2007)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 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
