Denmark
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denmark is a country in northern Europe. 5,400,000 people live there. There are many islands, but no mountains. Denmark is on the North Sea.
Denmark is a kingdom. The capital of Denmark is Copenhagen.
In geography, Denmark is the land in northern Europe, where the Danes live. In the political sense, Denmark also includes the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and Greenland in North America. All three parts of the country have different languages and culture.
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[edit] Geography
Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries. The neighbours are Germany (to the south), Sweden (to the east) and Norway (to the north). The country is surrounded by the sea: To the south-east there is the Baltic Sea, to the west the North Sea, to the north the Skagerrak and to the north-east the Kattegat.
The western part of Denmark is the peninsula of Jutland (pronounced yut-land), bordering Germany. This is the only part of Denmark that is not an island. The rest of Denmark includes 76 islands people live on, and many tiny islands. To the east is the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, the only place in Denmark where the bedrock can be seen.
The country is quite flat. There are many small hills, lakes, creeks, forests and farmland. And nobody lives more than 60 km from the coast.
[edit] Climate
The weather in Denmark is quite windy and rainy. In the winter, it does not get very cold; in most years, there are only a few weeks of snow. Every ten years or so, the sea around the islands freezes over, but in most winters, it does not. The climate and topography are not good for winter sports.
Most summers are not very hot. People always dress to be ready for rain or wind. There are also very sunny times, but nobody can know ahead of time when these will be. The best time of the year for outdoor activities is the months of May and June until midsummer.
[edit] Traffic
Because of the many islands, Denmark is a country of bridges. The main parts of the country, and most of the bigger islands, are connected by roads and railroads. One of the world's longest bridges connects the eastern and the western parts of the country, and there is a large bridge to Sweden also. There is still no bridge across the Baltic Sea to Germany, but it will be built in a few years.
There are still many islands with no bridges to the mainland. People have to go by boat or airplane to reach these islands. Many islands will never be reached by bridges, because they are too small or too far away.
[edit] Culture
The people of Denmark have always depended on the sea. In earlier days, people could not travel anywhere unless they went by boat. Many Danes were fishermen or merchants. Even today, many Danes spend much time near or at the sea.
Farming has always been one of the main occupations. Because of the climate and the soil, Denmark is a good place for agriculture. Export of food to the neighbouring countries is the most important source of income for the country.
Many Danes have become famous arouns the world, such as the scientist Ole Rømer, who discovered the speed of light, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, the author Hans Christian Andersen, and the physicist Niels Bohr .
In Denmark there are people from other countries, like Pakistan, Turkey and Poland. They have come to Denmark because they want to work in Denmark.
[edit] Language
The Danes speak Danish. Most Danes speak English, too. In the western and southern parts of the country, German is understood in stores and restaurants.
On the Faroe Islands, Faroese is spoken, and people living in Greenland speak Inuit. In the southern part of Jutland, a German minority speaks German.
The Danish language is much like Norwegian and Swedish.
[edit] Holidays
Christmas is the main feast of the year. Christmas is celebrated on the eve, December 24.
In midwinter, a fast is celebrated. Children are dressed up, and go from house to house begging for candy. A barrel is smashed with clubs, and the person who hits the last stick is appointed king or queen of cats.
Midsummer is celebrated with a huge bonfire in the evening of June 23.
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