Overview

Denmark, noted as the “happiest country in the world” after a study, is one of the southernmost lands in Northern Europe. It is a constantly innovating country, with Copenhagen, the capital, at the center of it all. Denmark itself consists of an archipelago along with the lowland areas of continental Europe.

Culture

The Danish, living near the sea, love their water sports. However, their national and most popular sport is soccer, and they have quite the record behind it, such as reaching the quarter final of the 1998 World Championships, and acquiring the #3 most successful rank from FIFA. Other popular sports include handball, cycling, tennis, and ice hockey.

Denmark is also known for its music; maintaining the folk traditions of old, yet continually innovating at the same time. Several famous musicians, such as Lars Ulrich, were born there, serving as a testament to the skill which resided there. The well-known band, Aqua, is also from Denmark.

Their diet consists of mostly meat and fish, much like other Nordic countries, due to a history of frigid, long winters. One of the most commonly eaten foods is rye bread, made into various kinds of fish and meat sandwiches.

History

Denmark is one of the countries in which the Vikings never truly had a foothold. Indeed, they were there for a time, but eventually vanished upon the death of Canute IV in 1086. This allowed Christianity to spread throughout the following centuries, eventually becoming the majority of the people.

Following the Black Death, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were united, until Sweden suddenly cut itself out in 1523. This led to an intense rivalry between the two countries, as they both wanted Baltic control. With help from England and the Netherlands, Denmark escaped Swedish rule, but at the cost of much land.

Much more recently, Demark was a neutral, yet highly profiting country during World War I. The same methods of escaping war did not work twice, with Denmark only resisting during WW II. However, England had a hand in encouraging the Danes strike against their occupiers, and their forces were great in numbers by the end of World War II.