Copenhagen, Denmark
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Need image |
| City flag |
City seal |
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| City nickname: "none" |
Location in Denmark
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Area
- Total
- Water |
526 km²
xxx km² xx% |
| Population
- City (2004)
- Metropolitan
- Density
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502,204
1,116,979
954/km² [including water]
xxx/km² [land only]
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| Time zone |
Eastern: UTC+1 |
Latitude
Longitude
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55°43' N
12°34' W
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Copenhagen (Danish: København) is the capital and largest city of Denmark. The
contemporary Danish name for the city is a corruption of the original designation for the city, "Købmandshavn," or Merchants'
Harbour in Danish. The English word for the city is derived from
the German name: Kopenhagen. Copenhagen is home to the national
parliament, government, and monarchy,
which are all situated in the heart of the city.
History of Copenhagen
- Main article: History of Copenhagen
Copenhagen was founded around year 1000 by Sweyn I Forkbeard
and his son Canute the Great (Knud den
Store (http://da.wikipedia.org/pac/Knud_2._den_Store)). It was only a fishing village until the middle of the 12th
century when it grew in importance after coming into the possession of Bishop Absalon, who fortified it in 1167. The excellent harbour encouraged Copenhagen's growth until it became an important centre of commerce (hence its name). It
was repeatedly attacked by the Hanseatic League as the Germans took
notice. In 1254, it received its charter as a city under Bishop Jakob Erlandsen. 1658-59 it withstood a severe siege by the Swedes under Charles X. In 1801 a British
fleet under Horatio Nelson fought a major battle, the Battle of Copenhagen, with the Danish navy in Copenhagen harbour.
When a British expeditionary force bombarded Copenhagen with rockets in 1807, to prevent
Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon, the city suffered great damage and
hundreds of people were killed.
During World War II Copenhagen was occupied by German troops along with the rest of the country from April 1940 until May 1945. The city has grown greatly since the war.
Since the summer 2000, the cities of Copenhagen and Malmö have been connected by a toll bridge/tunnel (Oresund Bridge), which allows both rail and road passengers to cross. It was
inaugurated in July 2000 by King Carl XVI Gustaf
of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. As a result, Copenhagen has become the center of a larger
metropolitan area which spans both nations. The construction of the bridge has led to a large number of changes to the public
transportation system and the extensive redevelopment of Amager, south of the main city. However, the bridge has not been as
widely used as was originally hoped, likely due to the high tolls, slowing the planned integration of the region. Another
hindrance to the integration of the region is the lack of a commonly acceptable currency throughout the area. It is still
difficult to pay with either nation's currency in the other country.
Geography
Copenhagen is located on the eastern shore of the island of Zealand
(Sjælland) and partly on the island of Amager. Copenhagen faces the Øresund, the strait of water that separates Denmark from Sweden, and that connects the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. On the Swedish side of the sound directly across from Copenhagen lie the
towns of Malmö and Landskrona.
1,116,979 people live in metropolitan Copenhagen (Storkøbenhavn). Of
these 502,204 live in the Municipality of Copenhagen, 91,721 in the Municipality of Frederiksberg, 68,704 in the Municipality of Gentofte and
another 454,350 in other nearby municipalities. An even larger metropolitan region is known as Hovedstadsregionen (translated, "the capital region", which
consists of the municipalities of Copenhagen and Frederiksberg, and the
counties of Copenhagen, Frederiksborg and Roskilde. The population of Hovedstadsregionen is 1,823,109. Copenhagen is also a part of the Øresund region, which consists of Eastern Zealand and Western Scania (in Sweden), and has a population of 2.8 million people.
Culture
Copenhagen has consistenly been rated one of the best cities in the world in which to live by international surveys, though it
also has a high cost of living.
Strøget, a pedestrian shopping street in central Copenhagen, is the
longest of its kind in the world.
If Denmark is the kingdom of reason, as the saying goes, then Copenhagen is the metropolis of politeness and civility. Its inhabitants practise the two, both between themselves and towards strangers. They also
add a dash of humor now and then. However, due to the true equality between men and women in Denmark, few of the citizens will
hold a door open for a lady.
Cuisine
Copenhagen offers a great variety of fine restaurants and modest eateries which are all delicious witnesses to the Danish
passion for good food. The entire city in fact is a gourmet's delight with hundreds of small shops selling everything from
succulent ice cream to unearthly good pastries. The baked goods called Danish pastries outside the country are usually pale and
inferior copies of the marvellous creations available in Copenhagen.
Transportation
Copenhagen has an extensive public transportation system, consisting of commuter trains (called "S-Trains" (S-tog)), buses, and a new metro. An extensive road system is also in place for private automobiles,
and the city's bicycle paths are well known for their extensive and
well-used nature.
The S-trains form the basis of the transportation network, stretching to most areas of metropolitan Copenhagen, with their
main hub at Copenhagen Central Station (København H). Some regional trains supplement the S-train services with lines extending
further such as to the Copenhagen Airport, Elsinore, and Malmö.
The entire system is governed by the same overall authority and tickets are transferable from one mode to another. The region
is divided up into 99 zones which govern the cost of a ticket. Travelling through 2 zones is less expensive than 3, 4, or more
zones. A trip of 7 or more zones costs a base rate. Ticket prices are quite high and have increased substantially in recent years
leading to a decrease in passenger numbers. In fact the percentage of trips made on public transportation in Copenhagen is quite
low by northern European standards.
Bicycle use is quite extensive. The city provides public
bicycles which can be found throughout the downtown area and used with a returnable deposit of 20 kroner. Bicycle paths are often separated from the main automobile lanes and have
their own signal systems.
Places of note in or near Copenhagen
Famous Copenhageners
External links
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