Kingdom of Denmark

DENMARK. Kingdom of Denmark

A state in the northwest of Europe, occupying most of the Jutland Peninsula and a group of nearby islands (Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster, etc.), as well as the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Area - 43,000 km². Denmark includes the Faroe Islands and the largest island in the world, Greenland, which enjoy internal autonomy. The capital is Copenhagen (with suburbs Frederiksberg and Gentofte - over 1.5 million). The administrative-territorial division consists of 14 counties; the cities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg are designated as independent administrative units. The population is 5.4 million (2003); 92% are Danes. The official language is Danish. The state religion is Lutheranism (92% of believers). The currency is the Danish krone = 100 øre.

Denmark has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on June 18, 1924, interrupted on June 22, 1941, restored on May 10-16, 1945).

National holidays: April 16 - Queen's Birthday (1940), June 5 - Constitution Day (1849).

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy. According to the constitution (1953), the head of state is the king (since January 1972 - Queen Margrethe II of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg dynasty), who exercises legislative power together with a unicameral parliament - the Folketing (179 members, elected by universal direct and secret voting under a proportional system for a term of 4 years). As a result of the parliamentary elections in 2005, the Social Democratic Party of Denmark received 47 mandates, the Conservative People's Party - 19, Venstre (liberal) - 52, the Socialist People's Party - 11, the Danish People's Party - 24, Radical Venstre - 16, and the Unity List - 6. The executive power belongs to the queen and is exercised in her name by the government headed by the prime minister (since November 18, 2005 - A. Fogh Rasmussen (Venstre). The current government is a coalition (Venstre and the Conservative People's Party).

Political parties: The Social Democratic Party of Denmark (SDPD) - founded in 1871, the largest party in the country (about 100,000 members). It unites workers and employees, small property owners, and part of the intelligentsia. It is a member of the Socialist International. The chairman is Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Venstre - founded in 1870, a left-liberal party, represents the interests of large and medium landowners and part of the industrial bourgeoisie (about 80,000). The chairman is A. Fogh Rasmussen. The Conservative People's Party (CPP) - established in 1916, represents the interests of business and financial circles, part of landowners, as well as the leadership echelon of the state apparatus (about 50,000). The leader is B. Bentsen. The Radical Left Party (RLP) - emerged in 1905, unites petty bourgeois layers of the city and countryside, part of the intelligentsia (about 12,000). The leader is M. Elved.

The Socialist People's Party (SIP) - founded in 1959, unites part of the workers, employees, and intelligentsia, stands on positions close to social democracy (about 6,000). The chairman is X. K. Nielsen. The Danish People's Party (DPP) - created in 1995 as a result of a split from the Progress Party, an extreme right nationalist organization with the slogan "Denmark for Danes" (6,000). The leader is P. Kiersgaard. The Unity List - created in 1989, a block of left-socialist orientation, uniting former communists and representatives of other left organizations. Subsequently, the block became an organization with independent membership.

The largest sectoral trade unions in Denmark are part of the Central Union of Trade Unions (about 1.5 million members).

The Danish state formed in the 9th-10th centuries. In 1849, Denmark was proclaimed a constitutional monarchy. It has been a member of the UN since 1945. It has been a member of NATO since 1949. The Danish government adheres to the principles of not deploying nuclear weapons and foreign military bases on its territory in peacetime. At the same time, Denmark has allowed the USA to conduct military activities at bases in Greenland. It has been a member of the EU since 1973, the Council of Europe since 1949, the OECD since 1960, Euratom since 1973, and the Nordic Council since 1952, and has observer status in the EEA (since 1992).

Denmark is a highly developed industrial-agricultural country, having reached the forefront in a number of unique specialized industries, possessing highly productive mechanized agriculture.

Denmark's GDP for 2004 is estimated at $243 billion (services - 71%, industry - 26.2%, agriculture - 2.8%). GDP growth for 2004 was 2.5%, export growth was 5.4%, and a positive trade and balance of payments surplus is maintained. Inflation in 2004 was around 2%, and unemployment was 6.2%. The share of public debt to GDP in 2003 was 37% (in absolute figures - 515 billion kroner). The external debt was 83.7 billion kroner, which equals 6.3% of GDP. Currency reserves as of the end of 2003 were 224.1 billion kroner.

The main part of Denmark's working population is employed in small and medium-sized enterprises. There are over 430,000 registered entities engaged in entrepreneurial activities in the country. According to the World Bank report "Doing Business in 2004," Denmark ranks 2nd among countries with low levels of government regulation and the best conditions for business, after Australia.

Leading industries include metalworking, machine engineering, food, textile, and chemical industries. One of the main tasks of Denmark's economic strategy is to achieve sustainable development in the country's energy sector. Denmark leads in developing technical solutions in energy conservation and environmental protection. The total capacity of all power plants in Denmark is about 10,000 MW. The share of renewable energy sources in total electricity production is 27%. Danish legislation prohibits the use of nuclear energy, the import of which constitutes 1% of the total electricity consumed by Danes and is sourced from Sweden.

In 2003, oil production in Denmark reached 21.5 million tons, and natural gas production was 10.8 billion m³.

Agriculture is one of the most productive sectors of the country's economy. Denmark ranks 1st in the world in food production per capita and 6th in absolute production volumes. The grain harvest in 2003 was 8.91 million tons. The main agricultural crops are wheat and barley. The average annual yield of grains is 62 quintals per hectare (wheat - 72 quintals per hectare, barley - 52 quintals per hectare).

The cattle population in 2003 was 1.769 million heads (including 34% dairy cows). Production (in thousand tons): beef - 178, pork - 1,895, milk - 4,715, butter - 70. Denmark ranks 4th in the world in cheese exports ($1.07 billion).

In terms of fish catch among EU countries, Denmark occupies one of the leading positions and is among the top ten largest fish processing countries, ranking 3rd in the world in fish exports. In 2002, the total catch was over 1.45 million tons of marine fish.

Denmark accounts for almost 40% of the world's fur production.

Danish road transport accounts for over 90% of all domestic freight (over 190 million tons) and passenger transport, as well as approximately 17% of external trade freight transport. The Danish vehicle fleet includes nearly 36,000 trucks, 14,000 buses, and about 1.9 million private cars, nearly 83,000 motorcycles, and 70,000 mopeds. The length of railways is 2,800 km, about 23% of the active lines are electrified, and there are more than 550 railway stations. Railways account for up to 7% of passenger and 2.5% of freight transport in Denmark.

Maritime transport accounts for 75% of all external trade transport. There are 124 seaports in the country. The civil maritime fleet under the Danish flag as of January 1, 2004, consists of 1,783 vessels with a total tonnage of about 7.6 million gross registered tons (bulk carriers - 4.8 million gross registered tons, tankers - 2 million gross registered tons, passenger ships - 424 thousand gross registered tons, fishing vessels - 150 thousand gross registered tons).

Air transport is playing an increasingly important role. It carries nearly 11 million passengers annually, of which 8 million are on international flights.

Denmark is strongly integrated into the European economy. More than 40% of GDP is exported. Almost 70% of foreign trade is with EU countries. The main trading partner is Germany (23% of Danish imports and 19% of exports). Other partners include Sweden and the United Kingdom. The range of imports is quite broad: raw materials and semi-finished products (textiles, paper, chemical goods, metal products) - 33.2%, consumer goods - 29.7%, machinery and equipment - 14.3%, vehicles - 7.4%, agricultural products - 2.6%. In the overall structure of Danish exports, 35.2% accounts for various industrial goods, 26.7% for machinery and equipment, 10.8% for food, and 7.2% for oil and petroleum products.

In 2004, the Russian-Danish trade turnover grew by 31% and amounted to $1.9 billion, with Russian exports increasing by 53%, while Danish supplies grew by 16%. The main export items from Russia are oil, petroleum products and coal, fish and seafood, timber and lumber, ferrous metals, grain, inorganic chemical products, fertilizers, and natural fur. Among Danish supplies to Russia, meat and food meat by-products, machinery and equipment, fish and seafood, electrical engineering, audio and video equipment, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, optical devices, furniture, and footwear prevail. According to Danish estimates, Russia is currently the 15th export market for Denmark, and in the leading category of Danish exports - meat - it ranks 5th. The total volume of accumulated Danish investments in creating new production facilities in Russia since 1991 amounted to about $650 million. Additionally, about $250 million was allocated for projects in the fields of ecology, energy conservation, and social welfare, implemented through the Danish government.

There are 5 universities in the country, the largest of which is the University of Copenhagen.

Modern Danish society is characterized by a high degree of information provision. In terms of the number of daily newspaper copies per thousand readers, as well as the total volume of broadcasting time for television and radio per week, the country ranks among the top ten in the world. Denmark confidently holds a leading position among the world leaders in the development of Internet services and the number of computers per capita. The functions of the national information agency are performed by the "Ritzaus Bureau," established in 1866 (joint-stock company).

The country publishes about 40 daily newspapers (of which 8 are national) with a total circulation of over 1.5 million copies, which are read by an average of 3.2 million people, as well as about 30 weekly magazines. About 600 specialized publications are released monthly. The leading position in the print market is firmly held by 3 national newspapers: "Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten" (with a circulation of about 180,000, and on Sundays - 240,000 copies), "Politiken" (142,000, on Sundays - 177,000), and "Berlingske Tidende" (149,000, on Sundays - 184,000). Since 1998, a weekly newspaper in English, "Copenhagen Post," has been published in Copenhagen.

Currently, most Danes use cable television services. The leader in the country's radio broadcasting is "Danmarks Radio," established by the government in 1925. It owns 4 radio channels that cover the needs of the Danish market by more than half. The rest is accounted for by 300 local commercial radio stations.

Faroe Islands
Located in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean in the Norwegian Sea. It includes 18 inhabited and several uninhabited islands. Area - 1,398.8 km². The administrative center is Tórshavn (19,500). The administrative division consists of 8 regions. The population is 48,500 (as of August 1, 2004), predominantly Faroese. The official languages are Danish and Faroese. The main religion is Lutheranism. The currency is the Danish krone.

Since 1380, they have been part of the Kingdom of Denmark, enjoying internal autonomy since 1948. The legislative body for autonomous matters is the Løgting (local unicameral parliament, 32 deputies), elected by universal suffrage under a proportional system for a term of 4 years. The highest executive body is the landsstýri (local government) headed by a chairman (J. Eidesgaard).

The Danish government is represented on the islands by a rigsmandsman appointed by royal decree. 2 representatives from the Faroe Islands are part of the Danish parliament.

Denmark has a naval base in the Faroe Islands.

The last elections were held on January 20, 2004. According to the results, the Republican Party received 8 seats, the Union Party - 7, the Social Democratic Party - 7, the People's Party - 7, the Center Party - 2, and the Self-Government Party - 1. The speaker of parliament is E. Joensen.

Main political parties: The Social Democratic Party (SDP) - founded in 1925, the Republican Party (RP) - established in 1945, the People's Party (PP) - founded in 1936, the Union Party - founded in 1906. The Republicans and the People's Party advocate strengthening independence, potentially leading to secession from Denmark. The Social Democrats and the Union Party support maintaining the current status of the Faroe Islands.

Most of the population is engaged in fishing. Approximately 500,000 tons of fish are caught annually (food fish - 250,000 tons). The fishing fleet consists of 270 vessels with a total displacement of 54,500 gross registered tons. The fish processing industry includes 23 enterprises. Fish and seafood account for 95% of exports.

Animal husbandry specializes in milk and lamb production, with a sheep population of 68,000.

Local passenger and cargo transport is carried out by road and sea. The islands are connected to Denmark by sea routes.

The newspaper "Dimmalætting," the organ of the Union Party, has the largest circulation (14,000 copies) and is published three times a week. There is also Faroese radio and television.