Population
5.3 million people live in Denmark – 7 % is of foreign nationalities.
1.7 million people live in Copenhagen or in the cities around the capital – all together called “Storkøbenhavn”.
In the region of “Øresund” which includes “Sjælland” (Zealand), “Lolland-Falster”, “Bornholm” in Denmark and “Skåne” in Sweden, lives 2.8 million people.
Politics
Denmark has a tradition for democracy. The government-system is a chamber-system, which in daily speaking is called “Folketinget”. It resides in “Christiansborg” in Copenhagen and has 179 members from 8 parties. www.folketinget.dk
Since November 2001 Denmark has had coalition government of “Venstre” and “De Konservative”
Denmark is a member of EU, UN, NATO and ”Nordisk råd”.
Religion
The official religion in Denmark is Lutheran Evangelical, but all have freedom to choose, and most religions are represented among the Danish people.
Currency
The Danish currency is “Kroner” (DKK). You can divide it into “øre” (1 Krone = 100 øre).
Denmark has no restrictions of how many DKK you are allowed to bring to the country.
The rates of exchange are approximately:
100 DKK = 13,5 Euro EUR
100 DKK = 19,5 American dollars USD
100 DKK = 10 English pounds GBP
100 DKK = 21,5 Schwiss francs CHF
100 DKK = 2100 Japanese yen JPY
100 DKK = 22 Australian dollars AUD
Visa card is very common in Denmark and there are good opportunities for exchanging money in the banks.
Personal checks from foreign countries and traveling checks in a foreign currency cannot normally be used as payment in stores, but the banks will accept Euro checks and travelers checks.
Most of the stores will take checks in Danish currency and most international credit cards.
ATM
ATM’s are the easiest way to withdraw Danish currency from your credit card or bank card. Most banks have an ATM outside.
Banks and exchange bureaus
Most of the banks in Denmark are open from 9.30/10 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday. Thursday to 6 pm. Outside opening hours many ATM’s and exchange automats are available.
Some exchange bureaus also have late opening hours.
The weather
July and August are usually the hottest months.
Daily temperatures July/August is in general 20,5 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit).
Night temperature is 13 C (55 F)
Rain 10 days per month
The 4 seasons are a lot like the rest of the Scandinavian countries. The temperatures can change from year to year.
See weather reports at www.dmi.dk
Shopping
Normal opening hours and days are Monday to Thursday 9 am to 5.30 pm – Friday 9 am to 7 pm and Saturday 9 am to 1 pm.
Copenhagen has many grocery stores and special stores. Many groceries have opening hours from 9 am to 7 pm and many are open on Sundays. There are almost always an opportunity for shopping.
You can find more about Denmark here:
Or:
http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danmark (in the left column you can find the language that suits you)
