Rigsfællesskabet

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Rigsfællesskabet
(Kingdom of Denmark)
Location of Rigsfællesskabet
World map, showing Rigsfællesskabet in blue
Official languages Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese
Leaders
 -  Head of Rigsfællesskabet Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
 -  Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen
 -  Prime Minister of Greenland Hans Enoksen
 -  Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands Jóannes Eidesgaard
Area
 -  Total 2,210,579 km² 
853,509 sq mi 
Population
 -  2006/2007 estimate 5,562,832 
 -  Density 0,39/km² 
0,15/sq mi

Rigsfællesskabet (English: Community of the Realm, officially rendered in English as the United Kingdom of Denmark by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs[1]) is a Danish term for the relations between continental Denmark and its two self-governing insular regions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Both regions enjoy far-reaching home-rule introduced in 1948 and 1979, respectively. The Constitution of Denmark applies to all three regions, and the home-rule agreement is not enshrined in the constitution. Both the Faroe Islands and Greenland manage most of their own internal affairs, but most foreign relations are undertaken by Denmark exclusively on behalf of all three regions. One of the results of this arrangement is that Denmark is a member of the European Union while both Greenland and the Faroe Islands have opted to remain outside of the EU. The Rigsfællesskab should not be confused with a federation or a looser association like the Commonwealth of Nations. It is one state with two self-governing areas, and as such it can be referred to as a federacy. The Faroe Islands and Greenland are represented with two seats each in the Danish Parliament but Denmark is not represented in the legislative bodies of the two other regions.

Contents

[edit] Population and area

Rigsfællesskabet consisting of Denmark (bottom right), the Faroe Islands (top right) and Greenland (left).
Rigsfællesskabet consisting of Denmark (bottom right), the Faroe Islands (top right) and Greenland (left).
Country/Region Population Area (km²) Density (Pop per km²)
Flag of Denmark Denmark 5,430,590 43,094 126
Flag of the Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 47,017 1,399 34
Flag of Greenland Greenland 56,916 2,175,600 0.026

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The United Kingdom of Denmark (HTML). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.

[edit] External links