Denmark 🇩🇰
Denmark is a country in Europe with a population of 5,882,261. Its capital is Copenhagen. The official currency is DKK, and the main languages are Danish.
Quick facts
- Capital: Copenhagen
- Continent: Europe
- Population: 5,882,261
- Area: 43,094 km²
- Density: 136 people per km²
- Currency: DKK
- Languages: Danish
- ISO code: DK
Where Denmark sits
Denmark 🇩🇰 is one of 46 countries in Europe, with its capital at Copenhagen. It covers 43,094 square kilometres — 130th in the world — and is home to about 5,882,261 people, 114th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Italy. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Denmark compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Denmark sits closest to Congo and Singapore. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Netherlands and Switzerland.
At 136 people per square kilometre it is about 2.3 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
Danish is listed as official in Denmark alone. The DKK is used by Denmark and no one else.
To see Denmark next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Denmark
Copenhagen is mostly on the island of Zealand, looking across the Øresund strait to Malmö in Sweden; a bridge links the two cities. For the flag, think of the oldest national flag still in use: a white Nordic cross on red.
The flag of Denmark: red and white
🇩🇰 The flag is a red flag with a white cross that reaches the edges, its upright bar shifted towards the flagpole. The flag is called the Dannebrog, and Guinness World Records lists it as the oldest national flag in continuous use. Its origin is unclear: a legend says it fell from the sky during a battle in the early 13th century.
Region and neighbours
Denmark is the southernmost of the Scandinavian countries in Northern Europe, made up of the Jutland peninsula and an archipelago of 406 islands, north of Germany. It shares land borders with one country: Germany. The CIA World Factbook also lists a 1.3 km land border with Canada.
- Germany 🇩🇪 — capital Berlin
Three facts about Denmark
- Lego, the world's largest toy company by revenue, has its headquarters in Billund, Denmark.
- The Øresund Bridge carries both trains and cars between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden.
- Copenhagen began as a Viking fishing village in the 10th century.
Sources: Wikipedia: Denmark, Wikipedia: Flag of Denmark, Wikipedia: Copenhagen, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Denmark
- European capitals quiz — match Denmark to Copenhagen
- European flags quiz — spot the Denmark flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Denmark
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Denmark those are:
- Europe map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Europe flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Europe capitals quiz — match it to Copenhagen
- Denmark capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Denmark
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Denmark
- Capital of Denmark: Copenhagen — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 46 countries of Europe
Nearby countries
- Albania 🇦🇱 — capital Tirana
- Andorra 🇦🇩 — capital Andorra la Vella
- Austria 🇦🇹 — capital Vienna
- Belarus 🇧🇾 — capital Minsk
- Belgium 🇧🇪 — capital Brussels
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦 — capital Sarajevo
- Bulgaria 🇧🇬 — capital Sofia
- Croatia 🇭🇷 — capital Zagreb
- Cyprus 🇨🇾 — capital Nicosia
- Czechia 🇨🇿 — capital Prague
- Estonia 🇪🇪 — capital Tallinn
- Finland 🇫🇮 — capital Helsinki
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Denmark flag?
The flag of Denmark is a red flag with a white cross that reaches the edges, its upright bar shifted towards the flagpole. The flag is called the Dannebrog, and Guinness World Records lists it as the oldest national flag in continuous use. Its origin is unclear: a legend says it fell from the sky during a battle in the early 13th century.
Which countries border Denmark?
Denmark shares land borders with Germany. The CIA World Factbook also lists a 1.3 km land border with Canada.
How can I remember the capital of Denmark?
Copenhagen is mostly on the island of Zealand, looking across the Øresund strait to Malmö in Sweden; a bridge links the two cities. For the flag, think of the oldest national flag still in use: a white Nordic cross on red.