controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

_*_People
_#_Population: 5,132,626 (July 1991), growth rate NEGL% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Dane(s); adjective--Danish

_#_Ethnic divisions: Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German

_#_Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman
Catholic 2%, other 7% (1988)

_#_Language: Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect); small
German-speaking minority

_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1980 est.)

_#_Labor force: 2,581,400; private services 36.4%; government services
30.2%; manufacturing and mining 20%; construction 6.8%; agriculture,
forestry, and fishing 5.9%; electricity/gas/water 0.7% (1990)

_#_Organized labor: 65% of labor force

_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Denmark

_#_Type: constitutional monarchy

_#_Capital: Copenhagen

_#_Administrative divisions: metropolitan Denmark--14 counties (amter,
singular--amt) and 1 city* (stad); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg,
Fyn, Kobenhavn, Nordjylland, Ribe, Ringkobing, Roskilde,
Sonderjylland, Staden Kobenhavn*, Storstrom, Vejle, Vestsjaelland,
Viborg; note--see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland
which are part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative
divisions

_#_Independence: became a constitutional monarchy in 1849

_#_Constitution: 5 June 1953

_#_Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative
acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)

_#_Executive branch: monarch, heir apparent, prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Folketing)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen MARGRETHE II (since January 1972);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26
May 1968);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Poul SCHLUTER (since 10
September 1982)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic, Svend AUKEN;
Con