random facts about Denmark

Denmark is situated in Scandinavia, a part of Northern Europe. It lies to the north of Germany and south of Norway and southwest of Sweden.
Denmark is spread over an area of approximately 43,000 sq km. It boasts of 474 islands in toto, of which only 76 are inhabited.

Danes are the happiest people in the world!
Denmark is the country in Europe with most breweries per person.
The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks Denmark number 1 in the world in e-readiness which indicates the state of a country’s information and communications technology
Smoking is forbidden in public buildings and private business - including restaurants, pubs, shops, public transport, entertainment venues and workplaces
Out of 100 Danish households in 2007, 59 owned their house or flat, 81 a washing machine, 63 a dishwasher, 71 a microwave oven, 85 a home computer and 94 a mobile phone.
Denmark is the world’s most IT developing countries
In Denmark, a flag is flown outside when it’s someone’s birthday. If you’re not married when you turn 30, you will get a pepper shaker as a gift and men are called a Pepperman (in Danish: “pebersvend”) while females will be a Peppermaid (”pebermø”).
The official language of Denmark is Danish. However, English is spoken and understood by majority of the population and is even mandatory in basic school.
The official religion of Denmark is Evangelical-Lutheran. It is practiced in the state church
According to the WHO (2002 stats), Danish women have the lowest incidence of obesity in the EU
As per a study conducted by Cambridge University in 2007, Danish people are the happiest people in the EU. Another study, Leicester University Study 2006, ranked them as the happiest people in the world
Danish royal family is amongst the oldest uninterrupted monarchy in Europe
Denmark has been home to as many as 13 Nobel laureates
Denmark has one of the highest employment rates in Europe
Democratic Constitution was formed in Denmark in 1849 and since then, the country has been following democracy
Denmark has been a member of the EU since 1973 and of NATO since 1949
The national flag of Denmark, known as the Dannebrog, claims to be the oldest country flag in the world, which is still in use
Roskilde Music Festival of Denmark is the biggest music event in the entire Europe

weird laws:
Restaurants may not charge for water unless it is accompanied by another item such as ice or a lemon slice.
If a horse drawn carriage is trying to pass a car and the horse becomes uneasy, the owner of the car is required to pull over and if necessary, cover the car.
No one may start a car while someone is underneath the vehicle.
Attempt to escape from prison is not illegal, however, if one is caught he is required to serve out the remainder of his term.


Did you know...
The tallest hill in Denmark is named Ejer Bavnehøj and is 178m high
The tallest point in Denmark is man-made and it is the Great Belt Bridge, 254m, that connects Zealand and Funen
After reaching the 9th grade, almost 25% of all students leave school to enter the work force
Danish high school is called gymnasium
All schools are co-ed and no form of uniforms or dress code is used
That university is free to attend and that students over the age of 18 receive a monthly allowance from the government Teachers and most adults are addressed by their first name only
1.9 millions copies of newspaper are printed a day. That is one newspaper per household
1 in 3 Danes have a car
You have to be 18 to get your driver's license and it will cost about $1500 USD
25-30% of all taxi drivers are female Over the last 100 years the Danes have only seen 5 Christmas' with snow
Denmark is made up of over 400 islands, of which 383 are uninhabited
There are 5.3 million people living in Denmark
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark
Greenland is the largest island in the world and part of the Danish Kingdom
The children's author, Hans Christian Andersen was born in 1805 in Odense, Denmark
The country is ranked as one of the leading book buying nations and…
That Denmark is number one in the number of books borrowed from public libraries
You eat open face sandwiches with a knife and fork for lunch
It is customary to say "tak for mad", thanks for a meal after every meal
Denmark is not the capital of Sweden!
You will not find polar bears walking the streets of Copenhagen
Handball and football (soccer) are the national pastime sports
That the women's Handball team won gold in the the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games
Denmark won the European Cup in soccer in 1992 against Germany
The Danish duo The Olsen Brothers won the European Song Festival 2000 with the song "Fly On the Wings of Love"
Denmark has the oldest monarchy in the world
Denmark has the oldest flag
Danes fly the flag for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays and just because it is Wednesday
That Danes are very patriotic, they are proud of the country, their accomplishments…
Danes learn English from the age of 10 and German, French or Spanish/Italian from age 13-14.
English movies and TV are subtitled into Danish
Danes have a very ironic and sarcastic sense of humor 89% of the population are members of the National church, only around 4% attend church on a regular basis
Danes hold the record for the country that uses the most candles
That Denmark was the first country to recognize and legalize gay marriages
Danes get 5-6 weeks paid vacation a year
Denmark is one of the leading countries in agriculture and windmill production and export
In 1999 the toll of homicides in Denmark was 48 That when you don't know what to say just say "tak" (thank you)
Denmark leads the world when it comes to level of income taxation
Danes enjoy using statistics


random facts i've found on different webpages.