History And Geography

History

Archeological excavations in Denmark have unearthed many artifacts belonging to the stone, bronze, and iron ages, which suggest that the region was occupied since prehistoric times. The modern history of Denmark can be traced back to 826 AD when Christianity was introduced in the region for the first time. During this period, the Danes had conquered most of northern and eastern England. In the 11th century, King Canute expanded his empire to include the present day Denmark, England, Norway, southern Sweden, and parts of Finland.

In the 13th century, Waldemar II transformed the entire region into a great European power by conquering the present day Schleswig-Holstein, Pomerania, Mecklenburg, and Estonia. Christopher II who ruled in the 14th century had to deal with a civil war that erupted between the nobles and the king. The king's control over the kingdom diminished during the civil war as his royalty were influenced by German merchants of the Hanseatic League. In the period between 1340 and 1375, Waldemar IV managed to reinstate royal authority, but it was his daughter, Margaret I, who established the Kalmar Union that included Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Faeroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and part of Finland.

In the 16th century, a national Lutheran church was established during the reign of Christian III. In the next century, Christian IV championed the cause of Protestantism, which resulted in a series of wars with Sweden. The 18th century was relatively peaceful and the rulers mainly concentrated on internal reforms such as the abolition of serfdom.

In the early 19th century, Denmark sided with France after facing increasing attacks from the British and was forced to cede Helgoland to England and Norway to Sweden. The 1864 war with Prussia forced the country to relinquish Schleswig-Holstein and Lauenburg. In spite of these territorial losses, the country prospered under the reign of King Frederick VII (1848-63) who adopted a new constitution and initiated a wide range of social and educational reforms.

Denmark remained neutral during World War I and based on a plebiscite, North Schleswig became a part of Denmark. The year 1933 can be considered the beginning of the modern welfare state of Denmark, as a number of social reforms were introduced in this year.

The Germans occupied Denmark at the beginning of World War II in spite of the country having declared its neutrality. However, the Germans ceded power soon after and the country was liberated on May 5, 1945.

Geography

The country is situated between 54° and 58° N of the equator and stretches from 8° to 15° east of Greenwich. The Faeroe Islands and Greenland are also part of Denmark. Denmark lies on the peninsula of Jutland, which is home to 406 islands out of which 79 are inhabited. Some of the leading and most thickly populated islands are Funen, north Jutland, and Zealand where the capital of Denmark, ‘Copenhagen' is situated.

The country's coastline stretches for 4536 miles and the border with Germany stretches for 43 miles. Most parts of the country are low-lying and the highest point is only 568 feet above sea level. The surface of most of these islands is characterized by clayish and sandy soil, which is very fertile. The only place where you will find bedrock is on the island of Bornholm. Although the country is poor in mineral resources, chalk is found in abundance that is used in cement production. Oil and gas is found in the North Sea and most of it is used for internal consumption.

Of the country's 26,677 square miles of available land area, 65% is under cultivation, 10% is taken up by deciduous or coniferous forest, another 10% is characterized by meadows, heaths, marshlands, bogs, and sand hills, and 13% is covered by lakes.