FACTS ABOUT DENMARK 1

- There are more bicycles in Copenhagen, Denmark than people. Denmark has more than twice the amount of bicycles (4.2 million) than cars (1.8 million). Copenhageners pedal more than 1.13 million km on their bicycles each day.

- In Denmark, it’s illegal to burn foreign flags, but not illegal to burn the Danish flag.

- The least corrupt countries in the world are New Zealand and Denmark, according to the Corruptions Perception Index.

- Germany, Denmark, Iceland have official rules about what baby can be named.

- Denmark’s current flag design was first used in 1219. No other modern country has used its flag for so long.

- Denmark can be windy. The average wind speed is a breezy 13 miles per hour (5.8m/sec). During Hurricane Allan on October 28, 2013, record breaking wind speeds of 88 miles per hour (142 km/h) and gusts of 119 miles per hour (193 km/h) were registered.

- Denmark is an archipelago made up of over 100 islands, some of which are not even inhabited.

- The Danish monarchy is the oldest continuing monarchy in the world and has existed for over 1,000 years.

- Denmark is reported to be the happiest country in the world.

- Denmark holds the largest 4^th of July celebration outside the U.S.

- Scandinavians, including Danes, are the world’s highest per-capital consumers of coffee, with Danes (who drink an average of four cups a day) coming in third after Sweden and Finland.

- Denmark has 7,314 miles (11,771 km) of coastline, which is longer than the Great Wall of China and equal almost 1.5 meters of coast per Danish citizen.

- In Denmark, age is no barrier to love. In 2009, the oldest Danish bride was 94 years old while her groom was over 100 years. The youngest Danish bride was 19 while her groom was 18 years old.

- Practically all Danes know how to swim, and swimming lessons are part of the compulsory curriculum in all state schools.

- In Denmark, pornography can be purchased at the local petrol station.

- One-fifth of all Danish families are affected by crime each year. The numbers of reported crimes have more than tripled in the last 30 years to over half a million per year, especially violent crime, break-ins and petty theft.

- Pedophiles are considered sick people in Denmark that should be helped rather than punished. They have registered societies in Denmark and meet in municipal clubhouses to discuss their common interest and exchange experiences.

- Denmark actually has a place to surf called Cold Hawaii, and it is one of the best beaches in Scandinavia for surfing.

- Three Danish films have sold over 1 million tickets each, and all three of them were action comedies about a gang called Olsen Banden (Olsen Gang). The foreign film seen by most Danes ever is Titanic, with 1.4 million tickets sold.

- One the Faroe Islands, which have been a self-governing part of Denmark since 1948, men outnumber women by 2,000 and in order to sustain the population, men have resorted to importing brides from other countries, especially Thailand.

NEXT