POPULATION 5.5 MILLION
FOREIGN VISITORS PER YEAR 4MILLION
CAPITAL COPENHAGEN
LANGUAGE DANISH
MAJOR INDUSTRIES DESIGN, CLEAN TECH, WIND FARMS, DAIRY, BACON, BEER
UNIT OF CURRENCY DANISJ KRONE (DKK)
BETTER LIVING BY DESIGN
Every year, Denmark tops a 'quality of life' list and is revealed as the coolest /happiest/ best-looking place on earth, because not only is the living easy in this small, perfectly formed country, but it's also easy on the eye. Viking raids aside, the Danes have long tried to make the world a better place (think generous foreign aid programs and the pursuit of green technology) and they make sure that they lead by example: their homes are stylish recycling-savvy havens of hygge (a sense of contented coziness) and their public spaces are enjoyed by all. And all you have to do is hop on your bike-literally. The flat-as-a-tack capital, Copenhagen, has 390km of cycle lanes and it's hoped that by 2015 some 50% of the city's population will commute to work by bicycle. Country-wide, you'll find around 10,000km of bicycle routes and some four million bikes to share them with, plus you're rarely more than a short pedal from the bracing seaside, the picturesque countryside or an architectural delight, making Denmark the perfect place to put pedal power into practice. |
