Denmark is one of the countries that make up Scandinavia in Northern Europe, along with Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. It’s the smallest of the Scandinavian countries, but it includes some 474 islands. People only inhabit only 76 of those islands, however. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also part of Denmark, and have been since the 1700s. Here are other fascinating facts about Denmark:
The Number of Travellers to Denmark
Denmark has ranked as the second most-visited destination in Scandinavia, after Sweden. Some 4.7 million people visited Denmark in 2007, according to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. The number of people who actually live there, as of January 20009, is 5,511,451, and they have the world’s highest level of income equality.
Denmark has been ranked as the happiest place in world as well as the second most peaceful country in the world. Surveys from 2006-2008 took into account standards of health, welfare and education when considering happiness, and the 2008 Global Peace Index survey deemed the country the most peaceful, after Iceland.
Tivoli Amusement Park in Copenhagen, Denmark
Denmark’s largest city — and its capital — Copenhagen, topped a list of the most livable cities in the world, by Monocle magazine. Copenhagen also boasts one of the longest shopping streets in Europe, Stroget, and contains the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Disneyland, Tivoli amusement park. Tivoli is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. Disney was so excited after his visit to Tivoli that he went on to build Disneyland.
Danish People Who Have Become Famous
Famous Danes include architect Jørn Utzon, fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen, and Lars Ulrich, the drummer for the heavy-metal band Metallica. Andersen’s stories have been translated into more languages than any other book, besides the Bible. In 1957, Utzon, who was born in Copenhagen, designed the sail-shaped Sydney Opera House that now stands in Sydney, Australia. Andersen was born in Odense, and Ulrich was born in Gentofte.
Denmark became the first European country to legalize same-sex marriages and offer same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, in 1989. The average age at which Danish men marry is 32, making them the oldest of all Europeans when it comes to marrying. Tradition has it that a gift of a pepper shaker is bestowed upon a man if he is unmarried when he turns 30, and he is then called a “pepperman.”
Other Miscellaneous Facts About Denmark
Carlsberg and Tuborg are the most famous brands of Danish beer and it was the Danish who invented the LEGO bricks toy. Denmark’s brilliant minds are also reflected in the number of Nobel laureates coming from the country: 14. In terms of health, the World Health Organization in 2002 found that Danish women have the lowest incidence of obesity in the European Union.
Denmark has risen to the top, or close to the top, of other quality-of-life rankings. Besides being home to creative minds, such as drummer Lars Ulrich, architect Jørn Utzon and writer Hans Christian Andersen, it has inspired others, such as Walt Disney, who went on build Disneyland after a visit to Tivoli amusement park. Denmark has lured millions of people to its shores, having made it the second most-visited country in Scandinavia.
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