Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark and is located on the straight between Denmark and Sweden, Øresund.
The city is divided into 15 administrative and tax districts. Since completion
of the Øresund road bridge
and tunnel in 2000, the city has been joined with Malmo
in Sweden
to form the Øresund region. Many
Danes now live in Malmo and commute into Copenhagen
each day via the toll bridge.
The city was a great maritime power at one point and competed against the
Hanseatic League of trading cities. Today, it more often plays
host to large cruise liners, which dock at Nyhavn
in the northern part of the city. You will occasionally, however, see fairly
large ships enter the waterway through the city, their passage facilitated
by huge hinged bridges.
Copenhagen
is a city on a very human scale and it is possible to reach most parts of
the central area on foot. Walking from one end of
the famous Strøget shopping street to the other takes around 15 minutes,
assuming that you are not too distracted by the cafes, bars and shopping possibilities
along the way.
Denmark
Denmark is part of Scandinavia, although it is not located on the Scandinavian
peninsular itself. The country is made up of a number of islands and it's
only land border is that with Germany.
Around the border area, there is a degree of cultural overlap, due to the
changing ownership of this disputed region over the years. The residents of
some of these areas are able to choose whether they prefer to hold a German
or Danish passport, depending upon which country they feel that they have
the closes ties with.
Several of the islands are connected by bridge and
there is also and extensive network of ferry services. Denmark is largely quite flat, with
some gentle rolling hills in the southern parts of the country and higher
ground in the area south west of Århus.
The climate in Denmark
is relatively mild, with winter temperatures averaging around 0.5C and summer
temperatures around 16C. It can, however, feel bitterly cold during the winter,
due to the fierce wind that blows in from the sea on many days. Rainfall is
quite frequent throughout the year and it is common to see snowfall during
the winter. For those not accustomed to northern areas, the winters can feel
long due to the limited hours of daylight. This is compensated for during
the summer, where a really good night out can be judged based on whether it
is already becoming light again when you are on your way home! At midsummer,
it is only truly dark for a few hours each night.
