Denmark is a good illustration of the saying “Not the one who has everything, but the one who has enough”. A small country even by European standards, not only provides itself with agricultural products, but also has a solid income from its export. There is a lot of water around - the Danes fish and build ships, and again, not only for themselves, but also for export. There is some oil and gas, but as soon as renewable energy sources appear, they try to save them. The taxes are high, the Danes grumble, but they pay, because in the national psychology there is a postulate: "Don't stand out!"
Even on the map of the northern third of Europe, Denmark is not impressive
And a tiny state is able to provide its citizens with a standard of living that is envied in most countries of the world. At the same time, Denmark does not need an influx of foreign labor or large foreign investments. One gets the impression that this country is a well-oiled mechanism, which, if not interfered with, not without friction and some problems, will work for decades.
1. In terms of population - 5.7 million people - Denmark ranks 114th in the world, in terms of area - 43.1 thousand square meters. km. - 130th. And in terms of GDP per capita, Denmark ranked 9th in 2017.
2. The Danish national flag is one of the oldest in the world. In 1219, during the conquest of Northern Estonia, a red cloth with a white cross was allegedly dropped from heaven on the Danes. The battle was won and the banner became the national flag.
3. Among the Danish kings was the great-grandson of Vladimir Monomakh. This is Valdemar I the Great, who was born in Kiev. Prince Knud Lavard, the boy's father, was killed before his birth, and his mother went to his father in Kiev. Vladimir / Valdemar returned to Denmark, subjugated the kingdom and successfully ruled it for 25 years.
Monument to Valdemar I the Great
4. It was Waldemar the Great who gave Bishop Axel Absalon a fishing village on the seashore, where Copenhagen now stands. The Danish capital is 20 years younger than Moscow - it was founded in 1167.
5. Valdemar's ties between Denmark and Russia are not limited to. The famous navigator Vitus Bering was a Dane. Vladimir Dahl's father Christian came to Russia from Denmark. Russian Emperor Alexander III was married to the Danish princess Dagmar, in Orthodoxy Maria Fedorovna. Their son was the Russian Emperor Nicholas II.
6. The country is a constitutional monarchy. The current Queen Margrethe II has ruled since 1972 (she was born in 1940). As usual in monarchies, the queen's husband was not a king at all, but only Prince Henrik of Denmark, in the world the French diplomat Henri de Monpeza. He died in February 2018, without having obtained from his wife the decision to make him the crown king. The Queen is considered a very talented artist and set designer.
Queen Margrethe II
7.From 1993 to the present day (with the exception of a five-year period in 2009-2014), the prime ministers of Denmark were people named Rasmussen. At the same time, Anders Fogh and Lars Löcke Rasmussen are not related in any way.
8. Smerrebred is not a curse or a medical diagnosis. This sandwich is the pride of Danish cuisine. They put butter on the bread, and put anything on top. Copenhagen's sandwich house, which serves 178 smerrebreda, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
9. Landrace pigs bred in Denmark have one pair of ribs more than other pigs. But their main advantage is the perfect alternation of lard and meat in bacon. The finicky British, who also have a well-developed pig breeding, buy half of the Danish pork exports. There are five times more pigs in Denmark than people.
10. The Danish shipping company Maersk transports every fifth freight container in the world by sea, making it the world's largest cargo carrier. In addition to container ships, the company owns shipyards, container terminals, a tanker fleet and an airline. Capitalization of "Maersk" is 35.5 billion dollars, and assets exceed 63 billion dollars.
11. It is possible to write a novel about the competition between the world famous insulin producers Novo and Nordisk, but it will not work for a film script. Formed in 1925 during the collapse of the common enterprise, the companies fought irreconcilable, but extremely fair competition, constantly improving their products and discovering new types of insulin. And in 1989 there was a peaceful merger of the largest insulin producers into the Novo Nordisk company.
12. Cycle paths appeared in Copenhagen in 1901. Now the presence of a bicycle shed is a must for any enterprise or institution. There are 12 thousand km of bike paths in the country, every fifth trip is made by bicycle. Every third Copenhagen resident uses a bicycle every day.
13. Bicycles are no exception - the Danes are obsessed with physical education and sports. After work, they usually do not go home, but scattered about parks, pools, gyms and fitness clubs. Despite the fact that the Danes practically do not pay attention to their appearance in terms of clothing, it is not easy to meet a person who is overweight.
14. The sporting success of the Danes also follows from the general love for sports. Athletes of this small country have become Olympic champions 42 times. The Danes set the tone for men's and women's handball, and are strong in sailing, badminton and cycling. And the victory of the football team at the 1992 European Championship went down in history. The players collected from the resorts in a fire order (Denmark got a place in the final part due to the disqualification of Yugoslavia) made it to the final. In the decisive match, the Danes, barely dragging their feet across the field (they did not prepare for the tournament at all), won against the unconditional favorite of the German national team with a score of 2: 0.
They had no intention of going to the European Championship
15. New cars under $ 9,900 are taxed in Denmark at 105% of the price. If the car is more expensive, 180% is paid from the rest of the amount. Therefore, the Danish car fleet, to put it mildly, looks ambiguous. This tax is not charged on used cars.
16. General medical practice and inpatient hospital treatment in Denmark are paid by the state and municipalities from taxes. At the same time, about 15% of revenues to the health care budget are provided by paid services, and 30% of Danes buy health insurance. This too high figure shows that problems with free medical care still exist.
17. Secondary education in public schools is free. About 12% of schoolchildren attend private schools. Higher education is formally paid, but in practice there is a system of vouchers, using which, with due diligence, you can study for free.
18. The income tax rate in Denmark looks alarmingly high - from 27 to 58.5%. However, this percentage is the maximum on a progressive scale. The income tax itself consists of 5 parts: state, regional, municipal, payment to the employment center and church (this part is paid voluntarily). There is an extensive system of tax deductions. Discounts can be obtained if you have a loan, use a home for business, etc. On the other hand, not only income is taxed, but also real estate and some types of purchases. Citizens pay taxes exclusively independently, employers have no relation to the payment of income tax.
19. In 1989, Denmark recognized same-sex marriage. On June 15, 2015, a law came into force that formalized the conclusion of such marriages. Over the next 4 years, 1,744 couples, mostly women, entered into same-sex marriages.
20. Children in Denmark are brought up on the basis of the postulate that they cannot be punished and psychologically suppressed. They are not taught to be neat, so any playground is a bunch of scum. For parents, this is in the order of things.
21. Danes are very fond of flowers. In spring, literally every piece of land blooms and any town, even the smallest, is a delightful sight.
22. Very strict labor laws do not allow Danes to overwork. The overwhelming majority of Denmark's residents end their working day at 16:00. Overtime and weekend work are not practiced.
23. Employers are obliged to arrange meals for employees, regardless of the size of the enterprise. Large companies organize canteens; small ones pay for cafes. An employee can be charged up to 50 euros per month.
24. Denmark has a tough immigration policy, so in the cities there are no Arab or African quarters, in which even the police do not bother. It's safe in cities even at night. We must pay tribute to the government of a small country - despite the pressure from “big brothers” in the EU, Denmark accepts refugees in homeopathic doses, and even regularly expels from the country violators of immigration rules and those who provided false information. However, more than 3,000 euros are paid in compensation.
25. The average salary in Denmark before taxes is approximately € 5,100. At the same time, on average, it turns out about 3,100 euros. This is the highest rate in the Scandinavian countries. The minimum wage for unskilled labor is about 13 euros per hour.
26. Understandably, at these prices, consumer prices are also very high. In a restaurant for dinner you will have to pay from 30 euros, breakfast costs from 10 euros, a glass of beer from 6.
27. In supermarkets, prices are also impressive: beef 20 euros / kg, a dozen eggs 3.5, cheese from 25 euros, cucumbers and tomatoes about 3 euros. The same big smerrebred can cost 12-15 euros. At the same time, the quality of food leaves much to be desired - many go to neighboring Germany for food.
28. The cost of rental housing ranges from 700 euros ("kopeck piece" in a residential area or small town) to 2,400 euros for a four-room apartment in the center of Copenhagen. This amount includes utility bills. By the way, the Danes consider apartments by bedrooms, so our two-room apartment in their terminology will be one-room.
29. A significant part of modern IT-technologies are developed in Denmark. These are Bluetooth (the technology was named after the Danish king with a sore front tooth), Turbo Pascal, PHP. If you are reading these lines through the Google Chrome browser, then you are also using a product invented in Denmark.
30. The Danish climate is correctly characterized by related sayings like “If you don’t like the weather, wait 20 minutes, it will change”, “Winter differs from summer in rain temperature” or “Summer in Denmark is great, the main thing is not to miss these two days”. It is never very cold, it is never warm, and it is always very damp. And if it's not wet, then it's raining.
