Geography of Denmark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Geography of Denmark | |
|---|---|
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| Continent | Europe |
| Region | Northern Europe |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 43,094 km² (16,638.7 sq mi) 98% land 2 % water |
| Borders | Total land borders: 68 km |
| Highest point | Møllehøj 171 m |
| Lowest point | Lammefjord -7 m |
Denmark is located in Northern Europe (it is one of the Nordic countries) on the Jutland peninsula and several islands in the Baltic sea. It borders both the Baltic Sea and the North Sea along its 7,314 km coastline. Its size is comparable to that of Massachusetts or Nova Scotia. Denmark has a 68 km border with Germany. Denmark experiences a temperate climate. This means that the winters are mild and windy and the summers are cool. The local terrain is generally flat with a few gently rolling plains. The territory of Denmark includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Its position gives Denmark complete control of the Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas. The country's natural resources include Petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, stone, gravel and sand.
Contents |
[edit] Environment
[edit] Land use
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- Arable land: 60%
- Permanent crops: 0%
- Permanent pastures: 5%
- Forests and woodland: 10%
- Other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4 350 km² (1993 est.)
[edit] Natural hazards
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- Flooding is a threat in some areas of the country
[edit] Current issues
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- 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
[edit] International agreements
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- 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, Law of the Sea, 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
- Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
[edit] Transnational issues
[edit] Maritime claims
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- Contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles (44 km)
- Continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
- Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
- Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km)
[edit] Other issues
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- Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line.
- Iceland, the United Kingdom, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nautical miles or about 370 km.
- The Faroe Islands continue to study proposals for full independence.
- Uncontested sovereignty dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.
- Denmark and Poland have failed to reach an agreement settling the boundary between the two countries.
- Denmark is currently investigating the extent of the continental shelf of Greenland, in the hope that Greenland's Exclusive Economic Zone can be expanded. One of the areas investigated is the geographical North Pole.
[edit] Details
[edit] Population
About a quarter of Danes live in the capital Copenhagen.
