Denmark's strategic location has enabled it to play a major role in world trade for centuries. The Vikings traveled extensively - Europe, Spain and Portugal, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, England, Iceland, Greenland and North America.
Today Denmark's economy is largely driven by manufacturing. Their niche is well-made manufactured items such as medical equipment. The two richest families in Denmark are the Maersk family and the family that controls Lego. Maersk gave us container shipping and Lego gave us creative play.
I will get to this section soon.
2. Welfare
Denmark appears to be a welfare success story. The Danes are happy to pay a 52% income tax and a 25% sales tax because they know they will be taken care of and they trust that their tax money will be spent wisely.
Danes get free medical care, including home visits from nurses, if necessary.
They get free education including college and graduate school. College studnts and graduate students receive a generoud stipend to cover their living expenses. They graduate with no debt.
The minimum wage is over $20. Danes get 6 weeks of vacation plus 10 holidays. If you get laid off, you can get free training for another line of work.
They get one year of maternity leave. Husbands may take part of the maternity leave. After that, they get very cheap subsidized daycare. They are guaranteed to get their jobs back upon returning to work.
3. Hygge
Hygge means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. It is the art of building sanctuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open-hearted and alive.
4. Happiness
I will get to this section soon.
5. Christian 4
If there is a gorgeous building or an interesting public policy or a nice statue, you would be correct most of the time if you said that it was built by, or the idea of, or a statue of, King Christian 4 (1577-1648). If you see a fancy guy in a painting, it is probably Christian 4. (They seem to write it like that most of the time, not Christian IV.)
He seems to be the only king they had, but they must have had at least three others, right?
Danish history in a nutshell: Christian 4.
A few more words:
Some Things That Are Rotten in Denmark
It isn't all a bed of roses. Denmark has its problems:
If there is a gorgeous building or an interesting public policy or a nice statue, you would be correct most of the time if you said that it was built by, or the idea of, or a statue of, King Christian 4 (1577-1648). If you see a fancy guy in a painting, it is probably Christian 4. (They seem to write it like that most of the time, not Christian IV.)
Danish history in a nutshell: Christian 4.
A few more words:
Some Things That Are Rotten in Denmark
It isn't all a bed of roses. Denmark has its problems:
- Bad, rude drivers
- Unhealthy lifestyles - smoking, drinking, not wearing helmets
- Elevator rudeness
- Trash on the ground
- Growing xenophobia
In Denmark Jantes's Law is part of the culture, especially in education.
Jante's Law: Everyone is equal and no one is better than anyone else.
Remember, Denmark is the happiest country in the world.
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