Understand
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Dubbed in various surveys and polls throughout the years as the "Happiest country in the world", it is often pictured as a romantic and safe place, likely linked to Hans Christian Andersen as a "fairy tale" on its own. Of course much more lies beneath the surface, but as a traveler, Denmark is likely to prove convenient, safe, clean, but also quite expensive to visit.
Dubbed in various surveys and polls throughout the years as the "Happiest country in the world", it is often pictured as a romantic and safe place, likely linked to Hans Christian Andersen as a "fairy tale" on its own. Of course much more lies beneath the surface, but as a traveler, Denmark is likely to prove convenient, safe, clean, but also quite expensive to visit.
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==Understand==
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:''"My life is a lovely story, happy and full of incident."'' <small>— Hans Christian Andersen</small>
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===History===
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===Terrain===
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Denmark is flat! More than 60% of the landmasses are flat, arable land, making it ideal for farming. And an additional 15% or so are similarly flat forests. Thus Denmark is home to the 'lowest-highest' point in Europe; at a stunning 170.86 meters above sea level, ''Møllehøj'', near [[Skanderborg]], was in 2005 confirmed as the highest natural point in Denmark. More famously ''Ejer Baunehøj'' and ''Yding Skovhøj'' with 170.35 and 170.77 meters respectively has been competing for years, until in 2005 with a new technique the winning hill could be found. Either way, the 216 meter tall ''Søsterhøj Transmission Tower'' near [[Aarhus]] stretches reaches 315 meter above sea level and thus is technically the highest point in Denmark.
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The almost 7,500 km coastline makes room for a large number of beaches, which along with the wind erosion, and plenty of rain, have formed the landscape, and today it is a country of small hills and valleys, minor lakes and small forests with beach and pine. The geographic position of Denmark on the tectonic plates have reduced the risk of earthquakes and volcanoes, and the worst quakes in modern times have been measured to 4.7 on the Richter scale
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The mountains in [[Sweden]] and [[Norway]] shield Denmark from most of the stormy weather and freezing winter air. Combined with the mild temperature and high degree of moisture in the winds blowing in from the North Sea it makes the land well suited for agriculture as the seasons are smoothed, and seldom creates droughts or floods.
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[[Bornholm]] is one of the few exceptions to the overall farming friendly terrain, as the depth of the soil is reduced, and bedrock can be seen in multiple sites.
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The west coast of Jutland facing the North Sea is slowly eroding, and accumulates the eroded soil due to the currents in the ocean. The result forms wide sandy beaches, whereas the east coast of Jutland in general is covered with pebble beaches.
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===Culture===
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'''Sports''' are popular in Denmark, with association football reigning supreme in popularity and counted as ''the'' national sport, followed by Gymnastics, Handball and Golf. Badminton and Water sports, however, often wins medals in international events like the Olympic Games.
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Another trait of Danish culture as any tourist pamphlet will tell you, is "'''Hygge'''", translating into cosy or snug. Danes themselves will be quick to point out this is somehow a unique Danish concept, which is hardly in tune with reality, but it does probably take a more prominent place in the culture than in many other countries. It usually involves low key dinners in people's home, with long conversations over candlelight and red wine in the company of friends and family, but the word is broadly used for social interactions.
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Another important aspect of Danish culture is '''understatement''' and modesty, which is not only prominent in Danish behavioral patterns but also very much an important trait in the famous Danish design, which dictates strict minimalism and functionalism over flashiness, something that transfers well to the Danish people as well.
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The Danes are a fiercely '''patriotic''' bunch, but in a sneakingly low-key kind of way. They will warmly welcome visitors to show off the country, which they are rightly proud of, but any criticism - however constructive - will not be taken lightly, although most Danes will happily spend hours to prove you wrong over a Carlsberg beer, rather than becoming hostile. It won't get you far though, and if you manage to convince anyone of any other flaws than the taxes are too high, the weather is too bad or other trivialities, you should immediately return home and run for political office. For the same reasons, outsiders on long term stays are by many viewed with a certain amount of suspicion. As the '''homogeneous''' society is often thought to be the key to Denmark's successes, you will often hear resident foreigners complain about a constant pressure to become ever more Danish, and the anti-immigrant Danish Peoples Party have seen increasing popularity over the years, taking 13% of the votes at the latest election, making it Denmark's 3rd largest political party.
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As a traveler it is therefore likely that Danes will be friendly and helpful towards you, but rarely engage in contact and conversations with you on their own initiative. Often the people can be seen as cold, skeptical and even a bit rude, but it is only on the surface. It can take time to truly befriend a Dane. If nothing else, hit any bar in town and you will be greeted warmly when the first few beers are put away.
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Drinking alcoholic beverages is, however strange it can seem, a key component in the social life there. Especially when comparing with the other Scandinavian countries, Denmark has a very liberal attitude to alcohol consumption, both in terms of what is socially and legally acceptable. For many social gatherings alcohol is a must (during weekends) and is seen a positive driver for loosening the atmosphere. Engaging in drinking is most likely the best way to get to know a Dane.
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==== Environment ====
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Denmark is often praised as being the one of the greenest countries in the world, but apart from the ubiquitous bikes, the individual Danes are surprisingly nonchalant about the environment despite their reputation, and actually contribute as many greenhouse emissions as most other nationalities. As with so many other things, it is thought as a collective responsibility, and have safely been played into the hands of the government, which in turn, with great success under Social Democratic leadership, enacted a series of reforms, mainly ''green taxation'', between 1993-2001, that made Danish society as a whole (especially in industrial production) one of the most energy efficient in the world. As it turned out it was also good business, and green technology has become of the country's largest exports, including fields like thermostats, wind turbines and home insulation. Because of this, green policies enjoys unusually broad support among the people and the entire political spectrum. 20% of energy productions comes from renewable energy, mainly wind power, a feat mainly made possible by the common Nordic energy market and the massive hydro energy resources in Norway and Sweden, which can easily be regulated up and down to balance the unreliable wind production.
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At the moment, the wind production in general produces more power during the night than the Danish companies can consume, while not producing enough in daytime to cover the consumption. In recent years, the installation of solar power in domestic houses has been supported by targeted tax reductions to create a secondary renewable energy source that is active during the days hours. As a backup the old coal and oil based power plants are kept ready for production, and black or brown outs are unthinkable for the Danish population.
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All these lofty green visions do actually have a few tangible implications for travelers:
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* Plastic bags cost money; DKK 1-5 - non-refundable, so bring a bag for shopping groceries.
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* Cans and bottles have DKK 1-3 deposit, refundable any place that sells bottled drinks.
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* Many toilets have half and full flush buttons, now - you figure out when to use which.
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* There is a roughly 100% (DKK 4) tax on gasoline, the total price usually hovers between DKK 9-11 per litre.
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* In many counties you need to sort your waste in two separate 'biological' and 'burnable' containers.
==Regions==
==Regions==