Denmark
The area of Denmark covers 43,000 square kilometres, which means that it is the smallest country in Scandinavia. Denmark has 5.4 million inhabitants, who
every summer take pleasure in the fact that most of the country is surrounded by water along 7,300 kilometres of coast, apart from a 68 kilometre long frontier with Germany.

Overall political decisions are taken at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen,
which houses the Government and the 179 democratically elected members of the Folketing (Danish Parliament). At least every four years, the Prime Minister must call a
general election.

Denmark is divided into fi ve geographical regions. It is their responsibility, among other things, that hospitals and the general public health system function optimally. Denmark is, furthermore, divided into 98 municipalities where local decisions are taken regarding for example childcare, schools, elderly care and construction works.

Denmark is a member of the European Union (EU), the United Nation (UN) and the defence alliance NATO.

The Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands, which are also part of the Danish Realm, are situated far from Denmark in the Atlantic. The 18 beautiful islands cover an area of 1,400 square kilometres and hold 50,000 inhabitants. Approximately 17,000 of these live in the capital of Tórshavn.

The Faroe Islands have a home rule system, which means that they themselves pass legislation in a number of areas, whereas other areas are regulated by Danish law. Furthermore, the Faroe Islands are represented by two members of the Folketing (Danish Parliament) in Copenhagen.

In the Faroe Islands, the largest islands have a well-developed road network, and bridges and dams link several of the 18 islands. Similarly, a ferry service operates between most of the islands. Between many settlements and towns, tunnels have been blasted through the rocks.

Greenland
The Danish Realm also includes the largest island in the world, Greenland. It represents an area of no less than 2,170,000 square kilometres.

The 57,000 inhabitants would have had plenty of room if it had not been for the  olar ice cap covering most of Greenland. In places, the ice cap is more than three kilometres thick. On the ice-free coast, the capital of Nuuk (Godthåb) is situated with approximately 15,000 inhabitants in a municipality that is two and a half times as large as Denmark.

The Greenland Home Rule Government is located in Nuuk, and also Greenland is represented by two members of the Folketing in Copenhagen.

Large parts of Greenland are as mentioned above covered by the polar ice cap, and towns and settlements are often situated very far from each other. Therefore, the road network is much more limited than in Denmark.

By contrast, there are rather good transport possibilities by helicopter, aircraft, and by ship.