Denmark has a mild climate with no extremes of hot or cold. In the light summer months of June to August, the average daytime temperature is 19.5 degrees centigrade and in February - the coldest month - the average is 1.2 degrees centigrade. This makes Copenhagen's weather much more like London's or Amsterdam's than that of the other Scandinavian capitals.

Approximately 5.3 million people live in Denmark, making it the most densely populated nation in Northern Europe.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Margrethe II as the head of state. A popularly elected parliament, Folketinget, governs the country and the prime minister, the nation's chief political officer, usually comes from the ranks of the majority party. The Faroe Islands and Greenland come under nominal rule from Denmark.

The Church of Denmark is Lutheran, but many other religions are represented throughout the country. Protestant churches in major cities usually have services in English once a week. The English church St. Andrew's in Copenhagen has English-spoken services as well.

The native tongue is Danish, but English is widely spoken

Situated in Northern Europe between the North Sea and the Baltic, Denmark is the only Scandinavian country connected to the European mainland. (The southern border of the Jutland Peninsula meets with Germany.) All in all, Denmark consists of about 405 islands, many of which are uninhabited. The capital, Copenhagen is situated on Sealand, the largest island.The entire country is 43,000 square kilometres/16,630 square miles in area, not ncluding Greenland and the Faroe Islands. By area, it's the smallest nation in Northern Europe.

2006

New Year's Day: 1 January
Maundy Thursday: 13 April
Good Friday: 14 April
Easter Sunday: 16 April
Easter Monday: 17 April
Common Prayer Day: 12 May
Ascension Day: 25 May
Whit Sunday: 4 June
Whit Monday: 5 June
Constitution Day: 5 June
Christmas Eve: 24 December
Christmas Day: 25 December
Boxing Day: 26 December
New Year's Eve: 31 December

In Denmark, shops, banks, restaurants, and museum close on Constitution Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Denmark is 1 hour ahead of GMT. From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, Denmark has summer time, which means putting the clocks one hour forward.