Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian nations other than Iceland. Located between the North Sea on the west and the Baltic Sea on the southeast, Denmark is separated from Norway by the Skagerrak and from Sweden by the Kattegat and the Oresund. In the south, it shares a 68 km (43 mi) border with Germany. The Faeroe Islands and Greenland have been part of Denmark since the 14th century and are now self-governing units within the nation.
During the 9th century the name Denmark (Danmark: 'border district of the Danes') was used for the first time. Subsequently, Denmark ruled over much of Scandinavia, which developed a common Nordic culture. At the same time, because of Denmark's proximity to Germany, Denmark has also been influenced by German culture.
Today, Denmark's balanced economy, in which much of its agricultural and industrial output is exported, gives the country one of the highest standards of living in the world. Through high taxes levied by the government, Denmark enjoys one of the most advanced systems of government provided welfare and social services in the world.
Land and Resources.
Most of Denmark consists of Jutland, a peninsula jutting into the North and Baltic Seas. Covering 29,766 sq km (11,493 sq mi), Jutland accounts for about 70% of Denmark's area. The rest of the land consists of nearby islands, including Bornholm, Zealand, Falster, Fyn, and Lolland, and approximately 500 smaller islands, about 100 of which are inhabited. Because of Jutland's deeply indented coastline and the many islands, Denmark has 7,300 km (4,500 mi) of coast.
More than 75% of Denmark lies below 100 m (330 ft) and is flat or gently undulating. Bedrock reaches the surface in very few places, and most of Denmark's landforms are of glacial origin. During the Quaternary Period (the last 2 million years), Denmark was totally or partially covered by ice sheets at least four times. The limit of the most recent ice advance is marked in Jutland by an end moraine that forms a range of low hills extending north-south through the peninsula. Most of western Jutland was not glaciated during the last ice advance and is marked by occasional undulating areas of older glacial deposits and extensive flat areas underlain by sands and gravels washed westward from the melting glacier. Eastern Jutland and the islands, which were covered by the most recent ice advance, have a more rolling landscape dotted with many small lakes. The highest point in the country, Yding Skovhoj, rises to 173 m (568 ft) in east-central Jutland.
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