The smallest and most southern of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark offers a storybox mix of lively cities and rural countryside. Ancient castles, ring forts, jazz festivals, the sleekest modern design you'll ever see and the people who invented Lego - who could ask for more?

Danish Vikings once took to the seas and ravaged half of Europe, but these days they've filed down their horns and forged a society that sees itself as a benchmark of civilisation, with progressive policies, a commitment to free speech and a liberal social-welfare system.

The majority of the population is of Scandinavian descent, with small groups of Inuit from Greenland, Faroese, and immigrants. According to official statistics in 2005, 461,614 immigrants and their descendants made up 8.5% of the total population — a large number of whom come from South Asia, and The Middle East. During recent years, anti-immigration sentiment has surfaced in Denmark as is the case also in many other parts of Europe.

Danish is spoken throughout the country, although a small group near the German border also speak German. English is the most widely spoken foreign language.

According to official statistics from January 2006, 83.0% of Danes are members of the Lutheran state church, the Danish People's Church (Den Danske Folkekirke), also known as the Church of Denmark. 4% of the Danish population adhere to Islam, and other religions in Denmark, include non-Lutheran Christian denominations.

As in most countries, the population is not distributed evenly. Although the land area east of the Great Belt only makes up 9,622 km² (3,715 sq mi), 22.7% of Denmark's land area, it has 45% (2,445,168) of the population. The average population density of this area is 254 inhabitants per km² (658 per sq mi). The average density in the west of the country (32,772 km²/12,653 sq mi) is 91/km² (236 per sq mi) (2006).

Population 1 April 2007, 5,451,826 people

The Danish educational system is made up of a primary and lower secondary comprehensive school, various upper secondary and vocational education courses and a wide range of higher educational programs, as well as adult and open education.

Education is compulsory for nine years from the age of 6 or 7 to 15 years. Most children also attend a voluntary pre-school class. Having finished their compulsory basic education, pupils may either attend the voluntary tenth form of the “Folkeskole” or continue their education at upper secondary level.

General upper secondary education comprises the three-year general upper secondary courses at the “Gymnasium” (upper secondary school), the two-year higher preparatory examination course (HF), as well as two- or three-year adult upper secondary level courses. These are all academically oriented courses qualifying students for higher education.

The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway), as well as that of northern Germany, its neighbor to the south, is heavy, consisting mainly of meat, fish and potatoes. This stems from the country's agricultural past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.

Traditional Danish food includes frikadeller (fried meatballs, often served with potatoes and various sorts of gravy), karbonader/krebinetter (another sort of fried meatballs), steaks and so on, mostly eaten with potatoes, which used to be very popular in Denmark. Fish is also widely eaten, especially on the west coast of Jutland. A traditionally favourite condiment, remoulade, is eaten with french fries, on fried plaice, on salami etc.