Short facts about the geography of Denmark
| Location: |
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic
Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes
two major islands (Sjaeland and Fyn) |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
56 00 N, 10 00
E |
| Area: |
total: 43,094 sq km
land: 42,394 sq km
water: 700
sq km
note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and
the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands
of Sjaeland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and
Greenland |
| Area -
comparative: |
slightly less than twice the size of
Massachusetts |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 68 km
border countries: Germany 68
km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone:
24 NM
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth
of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
temperate; humid and overcast; mild,
windy winters and cool summers |
| Terrain: |
low and flat to gently rolling
plains |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Lammefjord -7 m
highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173
m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt,
limestone, stone, gravel and sand |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 60%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures:
5%
forests and woodland: 10%
other: 25% (1993
est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
4,350 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flooding is a threat in some areas of
the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of
Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of
dikes |
| Environment
- current issues: |
air pollution, principally from vehicle
and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea;
drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and
pesticides |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not
ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the
Sea |
| Geography -
note: |
controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and
Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population
lives in greater Copenhagen | Source: World Factbook |
