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Chapter One DENMARK’S GEOGRAPHY & LANDSCAPE

H allo Goddag ! Welcome to Denmark. An ancient land, now admired for its cornfields, bridges, and interesting cities, Denmark is a small but prominent member of the European Union (EU). About three times the size of Long Island, with a population about two-thirds as large as that of New York City, Denmark is a nation of nearly 5.6 million

people. It is located in Western Europe, north of Germany and west of Sweden. Historically, the Danes have been a seafaring people, owing perhaps to the nation’s location between the North and Baltic seas. Today, Denmark is comprised of the mainland of the Jutland Peninsula, as well as a network of more then four hundred islands, most of which are connected to the mainland by bridges or ferries. The capital of Copenhagen lies on the largest of the islands, Zealand. Plains, Hills, and Moraines The landscape seen in Denmark today is largely a product of glacial activity that occurred during the last ice age . As the ice advanced and retreated over the centuries, hills of salt, sand, and gravel were pushed up, and other areas were flattened. Runoff

ABOVE: Fishing trawlers in the fishing port of Havneby on the island of Rømø. 11