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| Photo Courtesy of Wonderful Copenhagen www.visitcopenhagen.com |
Denmark is a Nordic country situated in northern Europe on the crossway between Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. Greenland and the Faeroe Islands are part of Denmark, but they are autonomous regions with home rule. Denmark consists of the Jutland peninsula and a large number of big and small islands. Thanks to the Gulf Stream Danish weather is not as cold as you may think. Snow is rather unusual, though the winters are wet. The average winter temperature is 41-50°F and the summer temperature can vary from 59-77°F.
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| Aarhus - Photo Courtesy of www.europe-cities.com |
The country is relatively flat, with about 65 percent farmland and 11 percent woodland, while the rest is comprised of cities and towns, roads and lakes.
The population numbers 5.3 million people, and the population density is 120 people per square kilometre. The capital is Copenhagen with around 1.2 million inhabitants. Copenhagen has an old, historic center and a large network of pedestrian streets, bicycle paths, and parks.
The official language is Danish, though most people understand and speak English.
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Amalienborg Palace |
“Call it the best year of my adult life. At age 48, with a few books to my credit, and with years of teaching American History behind me at the University of New Hampshire, I set out for Denmark with my wife and two kids. Living in Odense turned out to be charming. My experience as a Fulbright Chair in American Studies worked personally, professionally, and for the family as a whole. Denmark is a sane and sensible place, a proud Nordic country that operates minute-to-minute in Danish, but where English is the commonplace “second language.” Best of all, however, were the Danes themselves.” W. Jeffrey Bolster, University of New Hampshire
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Hojbro Plads |
Denmark is a modern welfare state and a constitutional monarchy with a record of kings and queens dating back to the year 1000. A democratically-elected government rules the country in the parliament, the Folketing. Many political parties are represented in parliament (often 10 to 15 parties). Denmark has a high standard of social security and free public services, including a high quality educational sector. The Danes pay one of the highest tax rates in the world in order to make these services possible. Denmark has a strong international commitment and is a member of the European Union, the Nordic Council, the United Nations and NATO.
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The Little Mermaid |
In Denmark, there are 9 institutions offering higher education, including five universities. Denmark has fairly recently adopted an Anglo-American structure of education with the introduction of the Bachelor's and Ph.D. degrees. A university program now normally consists of a 3-year Bachelor's degree program, followed by a 2-year program leading to the Candidatus (Master's) degree. Three years of supervised postgraduate studies after the Master's degree lead to the Ph.D.
Danish cultural life is varied, offering live music, ballet, theatre and opera. The Royal Danish Ballet, the opera houses in Jutland and Copenhagen and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra are examples of internationally acclaimed institutions. Denmark is a country of music festivals, and the selection of music, “especially during the summer months, is comprehensive and international, especially in the genres of rock, folk and jazz. Denmark has the highest number of sports facilities per capita of the European countries.
I believe my time in Denmark was very beneficial to my further development as a teacher. I had to learn to teach both Danish speaking students as well as international students. They had many points of view about business and world issues and were very at ease in sharing them with me. The faculty members were wonderful, very open and flexible as to what I taught and how I communicated. They were a very collaborative group of teachers. They are very positive towards their students and seem to go out of their way to help them. The students seemed very respectful of them.” John Hopkins, U.S. Visiting Lecturer 2005-06.
This Web site is designed to help Americans learn more about Denmark and what it has to offer Fulbright participants. All of the sections contain direct links to additional information. You will find general information about many aspects of Danish life and culture, as well as the political situation.
The Danish-American Fulbright Commission
www.wemakeithappen.dk
Royal Danish Embassy in Washington, DC
www.denmarkemb.org
US Embassy in Denmark
www.usembassy.dk/
Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation http://videnskabsministeriet.dk/site/frontpage
Ministry of Education
www.uvm.dk/eng
Cirius
www.ciriusonline.dk/Default.aspx?ID=3771
Library of Congress Portals to the World
www.loc.gov/rr/international/european/denmark/dk.html
Official Denmark Portal
www.denmark.dk
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
www.um.dk
Ministry of Culture
www.kum.dk
Parliament (Folketing)
www.folketinget.dk
Danish Tourist Information
www.dt.dk/
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