Do you know that Denmark and the United Kingdom have several historical and cultural connections?

In the 11th century, the Danish king Cnut the Great became King of England, showing the strong Viking influence on British history.

Today, Denmark and the UK also have something in common politically: they are both constitutional monarchies, with a king as head of state and an elected parliament.

The Danish and British royal families are closely connected through history and marriage. 

Princess Alexandra of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX, married the future British King Edward VII in 1863. 

Their descendants include the current British royal family. 

Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II and father of King Charles III, was also born a Prince of Greece and Denmark.

As a result, King Charles III and King Frederik X of Denmark are distant relatives and both descend from King Christian IX of Denmark.

Start with a quiz on Denmark to check what you already know!

Now, read this short presentation of a wonderful country worth a visit!

The Kingdom of Denmark is the smallest of the five nations in the Nordic Region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and the most southerly country. It includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is a small, densely populated country, made up of a large number of islands.

Denmark is south of Norway, west of Sweden and has its only border with the North of Germany. The Øresund Bridge connects Sweden to the largest Danish island, Zealand. Jutland, which is a peninsula, connects Denmark with Germany. The third-largest island in Denmark is Funen, also connected to Zealand and to Jutland by bridges.

Denmark has a temperate climate, with occasional snow in winter. The average temperature is around 16°C in summer and 0.5°C in winter.

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, in fact it has the oldest monarchy in Europe. Queen Margrethe II has no real political power, and the parliament, Folketinget, is the country's highest authority. Denmark is a member of the EU, but has kept the krone as its currency. It is also a member of NATO.

It also has the world's oldest national flag: it was first used in 1219 and is red with a white Nordic cross shifted to the hoist side which represents Christianity.

With a population of around 5.9 million, Denmark is the most densely populated country in the Nordic Region. Roughly 1.3 million people live in and around the capital city, Copenhagen.

Denmark is famous for being the happiest country in the world: according to the World Happiness Report, happiness is closely linked to social equality and community spirit and Denmark does well on both. Denmark has a high level of equality and a strong sense of common responsibility for social welfare.

The Danes are relaxed, informal, and often ironic. They have a concept called “hygge” : it’s the fact of being cosy and making people feel at home. It is an essential part of life in Denmark. Hygge promotes the idea of appreciating the small, simple, things in life - such as spending time with friends.

The official language in Denmark is Danish. It uses the Latin alphabet with the additional letters æ, ø and å. Very surprisingly, the Danish language has no word for "please".

The most important sources of revenue in Denmark are oil and other forms of energy, the medical industry, agricultural produce, shipping and IT services.

Denmark is known for being Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace, for the Little Mermaid statue and for LEGO® , which was invented by a Dane.

Denmark is also famous for its cycling culture: in fact, Copenhagen is the best place to cycle! It’s also a global leader in sustainability and the least corrupt country in the world.

Denmark is a great place for foreigners to move to. It offers a clean, safe place to live and a very high quality of life. If you move there, you'll have lots of travel opportunities and will be able to get around easily in English.