26 Amazing Facts About Denmark You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

Denmark is officially known as the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark is a Nordic country and the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are two autonomous constituent countries that are part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Danish is the official language of Denmark, while Faroese and Greenlandic German are recognized regional languages in Denmark. Copenhagen is Denmark's capital and largest city. 

As of April 2018, Denmark's population stands at 5,785,864 people. The currency used in Denmark is the Dnish krone (DKK). Denmark's form of government is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Margrethe II is the Danish monarch and Lars Løkke Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark. You'll most certainly enjoy these amazing facts about the land of the happy populists.

1. Punctuality is very important to the Danes. Having an appointment at 10:00 a.m. and showing up at 10:02 a.m. is considered rude in Denmark.

2. Denmark boasts 13 Nobel Prize winners. These are: 

1.     Jens Christian Skou, Chemistry, 1997

2.   Niels Kaj Jerne, Physiology or Medicine, 1984

3.    Aage Bohr, Physics, 1975

4.   Ben Roy Mottelson, Physics, 1975

5.    Johannes V. Jensen, Literature, 1944

6.   Henrik Dam, Physiology or Medicine, 1943

7.    Johannes Fibiger, Physiology or Medicine, 1926

8.   Niels Bohr, Physics, 1922

9.   August Krogh, Physiology or Medicine, 1920

10. Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Literature, 1917

11. Henrik Pontoppidan, Literature, 1917

12. Fredrik Bajer, Peace, 1908

13.Niels Ryberg Finsen, born in Faroe Islands, Physiology or Medicine, 1903

3. Denmark is the fourth highest exporter of pork. In 2017, she exported pork worth $2.7 billion, which accounts for 9.1% of total exported pork in 2017.

4. Denmark has one of the highest cancer rates in the world; it ranks 8th among the top 10 countries with the highest cancer rates. 340.4 people per 100,000 have cancer in Denmark (World Cancer Research Fund report).

5. Denmark became the first European country to abolish slavery in 1972 when she placed a ban on the importation of slaves to her West Indies colonies.

6. The oldest and second-oldest amusement parks in the world are found in Denmark. Dyrehavsbakken is the oldest, found in Klampenborg, Denmark. The second-oldest, Tivoli Gardens is found in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

7. LEGO (the largest toy production company in the world) was founded in Denmark. 'LEGO' is an abbreviation of the two Danish words "leg godt", meaning "play well". The Lego Group began in Ole Kirk Christiansen's workshop, and has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Christiansen.

 

8. The Tollund Man - a naturally mummified corpse of a man who lived during the 4th century BC (300-400 BC). The Tollund Man is the most well-preserved body from pre-historic times in the world. The Tollund Man was discovered in a bog close to Bjældskovdal (Jutland Peninsula) on May 6, 1950. The Tollund Man is on display at Museum Silkeborg, in Silkeborg, Denmark.

9. Denmark is the second least corrupt country in the world, as per Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index. Denmark scored 88 out of 100 points.

  

10. Denmark's monarchy is the oldest in Europe, having being formed in the 10th century by the Viking kings Gorm the Old and Harald Bluetooth. Denmark's monarchy is a thousand years old and counting.

Queen Margrethe II

11. Denmark is a leader in turbine manufacturing. Vestas, a Danish wind turbine manufacturer, is currently the world's largest wind turbine maker. Vestas holds about 16% of the global wind turbine market.

12. Denmark has the world's highest social mobility. Social mobility as defined by Britannica is the movement of individuals, families, or groups through a system of social hierarchy or stratification.

13. Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) show that Denmark has the third highest average income tax rate in the world. Denmark has an average income tax rate of 36.2%.

14. Denmark has the the second-shortest working week for employees, in the world. As per TechRepublic (2018 report), Danes work for 32 hours on average per week.

15. Denmark is one of the top 5 cycling countries in the world. According to research carried out by MIT Energy Initiative and Dalia, Denmark comes second in a ranking of top 5 cycling countries. 29% of Danes commute with bicycles on a daily basis.

 

16. People often wrongly interchange the words 'Dutch' and 'Danes'. The Danes refer to the people of Denmark while the Dutch refer to the people of the Netherlands. 

17. In Denmark, if you are unmarried by the time you turn 25, cinnamon is sprinkled on you. If you are unmarried by the time you turn 30, pepper is sprinkled on you.

18. Bluetooth got its name from the Denmark's second king, Harald Bluetooth. King Bluetooth was famous for uniting Scandinavia. Like the Danish king, Bluetooth technology unites devices from different manufacturers and with different purposes. The Bluetooth icon is a combination of the Danish Runes for H and B - Harald Balatand.

 

19. According to the Legatum Prosperity Index, Denmark is the 7th most sociable country in the world, with a score of 64.49 on the Legatum Prosperity Index.

20. Denmark ranks third in 2018's World Happiness Report. The World Happiness Report is released annually by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

21. According to the OECD's "How's Life 2015" report, Danes have the most trust in other people, in Europe. The French are the least-trusting Europeans.

22. Danes value their privacy a lot. It is a part of their culture and who they are. They do not like to be bothered with trivialities. "Hi, how are you" is not a standard form of greeting in Denmark. They find it amusing that people ask about a person's well-being, knowing that they won't take time to listen.

23. Danes are polite and respectful but do not engage in social pleasantries - they are considered absolutely useless. Danes attribute little to no value to small talk and prefer deeper, more meaningful conversations. Giving compliments is also not a part of Danish culture. They do not complement each other for their looks or dressing. The Danish language has no word for "please".

24. Denmark comes fifth in a ranking of the top 10 countries with the lowest crime rates in 2018 by BBC.

25. Copenhagen is one of the few cities in Europe whose harbor water is clean enough for swimming. CNN named Copenhagen the best city in the world for swimming - thanks to its urban beaches and waterfront swimming areas in the harbor.

26. Denmark has the 6th highest GDP per capita in the world ($59,314), and the 11th highest Human Development Index (0.929).