U.S. English Foundation Research

DENMARK

General Information

Capital:

Copenhagen, city 487,969 (1998 est.), metropolitan area 1,362,264 (1996 est.)

Area:

43,094 sq km (16.639 sq mi)

Form of government

Parliamentary state and constitutional monarchy with one legislative house

GDP per capita

Purchasing power parity-$23,800 (1999 est.)

Population

5,356,845 (July 1999 est.)

Ethnic composition

Danish - 95.8%

Asians - 1.6%

Yugoslavians - 0.5%

Scandinavians - 0.4%

African - 0.3%

Other - 1.4%

Official Language(s)

Danish

According to the Greenland Home Rule Act, Article 9, Greenlandish is the principal language of Greenland. As regards the Faroe Islands, the Faeroes Home Rule Act, Article 11, provides that Faroese be the main language.

Minority Language(s)

German (Faroese and Greenlandish are not considered to be and do not regard themselves as national minorities, they are independent people in the Danish State)